OF  THE 

U N I VER.5  ITY 
or  ILLINOIS 


973.75 

B61r 


Richard  Barksdale  Harwell 


RECOLLECTIONS 


* 

OF 


A SAib0R  Boy 

4 

— OR  THE — 


Cruise  of  the  Gunboat  Louisiana. 


BY 

' 

I 

STEPHEN  F.  BLANDING, 


Acting  Carpenter’s  Mate  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Louisiana 'in  the 


War  of  the  Rebp:llion. 


PROVIDENCE: 

E.  A.  Johnson  & Co.,  Printers  and  Publishers. 

1886. 


PREfAGE. 


nY  OBECT  in  writing  this  book  was  simply  to 
bring  more  forcibly  to  the  minds  of  the  rising 
generation  in  America  a tithe  of  the  perils  and  the 
sufferings  their  fathers  endured  while  battling  for  the 
Union.  Also  to  depict  to  them  some  of  the  more 
pleasurable  and  exciting  incidents  connected  ‘with  life 
on  board  of  a ‘‘Man-of-War,”  and  ‘‘Liberty  days”  on 
shore. 

If  I have  succeeded  in  accomplishing  this  in  the  fol- 
lowing pages  I shall  think  that  I have  not  written 


m vain. 


January  1,  1885. 


/ 


(o  1 ' 


I 


'L^  • 


f 

CONTENTS. 


♦ 


THE 


CHAPTER  I. 


/ 


ENLISTMENT — AT  THE  RECRUITING  STATION — THE  DRUNKEN 
SAILOR — SIGNING  THE  BOOKS — HOME  VISITED — BREAKING 
THE  NEWS — THE  DEPARTURE — THE  EXAMINATION — PROCUR- 
ING AN  OUTFIT — GOING  ON  BOARD.  - Pages  7-27 


CHAPTER  II. 

•ON  BOARD  THE  “GUARDO  ” — MEETING  WITH  PHIL — DINNER  ON 

BOARD — THE  SHIP  BOYS — “REDDT” A FIGHT  IN  PROSPECT 

GOOD  ADVICE — EXAMINED  AGAIN PHIL  DRAFTED— GETTING 

ACQUAINTED  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  HAMMOCKS  FROM  ONE 

“GUARDO”  to  another — INCIDENTS  ON  THE  WAY BROOK- 

LYN NAVY  YARD — ON  BOARD  THE  “NORTH  CAROLINA.” 

Pages  28-48 


CHAPTER  III. 

« 


THE  RECEIVING  SHIPS THE  CAPTAIN  MAKES  A SPEECH — TAKEN  IN 

CHARGE  BY  THE  DRILL  MASTER — INSTRUCTED  IN  THE  ART  OF 

SWABBING*  THE  DECKS — “GREENEY”  AND  HIS  HAMMOCK 

“paddy  d’yLE” — CONFINED  IN  THE  BRIG — TRICKS  PLAYED 
UPON  THE  “GREENIES” — VERMIN  ABOARD  SHIP — THE  TRAINED 
COCKROACH — HOLYSTONING  THE  DECKS — LIFE  ON  BOARD  THE 

“GUARDO” — GROG  TIME  OF  DAY PUNISHMENT  ON  BOARD 

VISITING  DAT — DETAILED  IN  THE  SCOW — WORMS  IN  OUR 

HARD-TACK “ DUFF-DAY  ” — DRAFTED  FOR  THE  GUN-BOAT 

“LOUISIANA.”  - - - - - - Pages  49-68 

CHAPTER  IV. 

GOOD-BYE  TO  THE  “GUARDO” — ON  BOARD  THE  “THAMES” AT  SEA 

UP  CHESAPEAKE  BAT ON  BOARD  THE  FRIGATE  “BRANDY- 
WINE”— SPANISH  AND  FRENCH  FRIGATES — A DAY  ON  SHORE — 
TRANSFERRED  TO  THE  GUN-BOAT  “DELAWARE” — OFF  CAPE 
HENRY — A ROUGH  NIGHT  AT  SEA — THE  LOOKOUT  SPINS  A 

TARN — PADDY  D’YLE  AGAIN — FORT  HATTERAS HATTERAS 

INLET  — PAMLICO  SOUND  — ARRIVAL  AT  NEW  BERNE  ON 

BOARD  THE  FLAG-SHIP  “HETZEL” — LIBERTY  DAY  ON  SHORE 
— THE  GUN-BOAT  “EAGLE”- — THE  “CURLEW” — UP  TAR  RIVER 
— ON  BOARD  THE  “LOUISIANA.”  - - Pages  69-96 


IV 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  V.  • 

HISTORY  OF  THE  “LOUISIANA” — GOING  INTO  COMMISSION PICKET 

DUTY  AT  NEWPORT  iJS^EWS — HER  FIRST  ENGAGEMENT  WITH 

THE  REBEL  STEAMER  “ YORKTOWN  ” THE  REBEL  SCHOONER 

A STERN  CHASE — THE  REBELS  IN  AMBUSH — THE  ENGAGE- 
MENT— HOOKER  SHOT  THROUGH  THE  LUNGS CHINCATEAGUE 

SOUND — MOTHER  ADAMS  AND  HER  BARRELS  OF  RUM — THE 
BURNSIDE  EXPEDITION — THE  ' FIGHT  AT  ELIZABETH  CITY — 
COMMODOBE  LYNCH  AND  HIS  COCKED  HAT EDENTON — WASH- 

INGTON— RECEPTION  FROM  THE  CONTRABANDS. 

Pages  97-113 

CHAPTER  VI. 

OUR  FIRST  DAY  ON  THE  “LOUISIANA” “UP  ALL  HAMMOCKS” 

ASSIGNED  STATIONS  ON  BOARD — DRILLING,  ETC. NEWS  FROM 

CHESAPEAKE  BAY ARRIVAL  OF  THE  MAIL-BOAT — “AWAY,  THE 

DINGY,  away” THE  MAIL-BOAT  ON  FIRE — HOT  WHISKEY 

SCUTTLING  THE  STEAMER SAD  NEWS  FROM  HOME. 

Pages  114-126 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OUR  FIRST  LIBEBTY  DAY  IN  LITTLE  WASHINGTON WE  VISIT  THE 

“buffaloes” HOW  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  TROOPS  PAID 

A'ISITS  TO  THEIR  FAMILIES  OUTSIDE  THE  LINES — AN  EN- 
COUNTER WITH  “ SECESH  ” GIRLS TOM  VS.  OLD  MAID — AT 

THE  FORT — THE  THIRD  NEW  YORK  CAVALRY — THE  YOUNG 
CAVALRY  MAN “GUERRILLA  JOHN” — FORAGING  FOR  CHICK- 
ENS  AUNT  PHEBE  AND  THE  POT  STEWS — TOM  AND  THE 

POKE  BONNET. Pages  127-143 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

REBEL  RAID  ON  LITTLE  WASHINGTON — DESPERATE  FIGHTING — THE 
“ BUFFALOES,”  NORTH  CAROLINA  TROOPS — A BRAVE  NORTH 
CAROLINA  BOY — STAMPEDE  OF  THE  REBELS AFTER  THE  EN- 

GAGEMENT— SEARCHING  THE  HOUSES  FOR  FIRE  ARMS — AUNT 

PHEBE — “isE  GOT  NO  shootin’  i’ns  !”  Pages  144-154 

CHAPTER  IX. 

EXPEDITION  UP  Blount’s  creek — promoted  acting  carpenter’s 

MATE BUILDING  THE  BLOCKADE — FIRED  ON  BY  THE  REBELS 

PREPARING  FOR  THE  EXPEDITION — BLOUNT’S  CREEK “OH, 

SIRS,  YOU  WILL  NOT  HARM  MY  CHILDREN  ” EDWARD’s  MILL 

THE  KIND  OF  WOMEN  WE  MET  ON  OUR  MARCH — HELPING 

OURSELVES  TO  CHICKENS “YOU  ARE  A YANKEE,  I KNOW  ” 


1 


4 


\ 

CONTENTS. 


V 


TESTING  THE  WATER  IN  THE  REBEL  WELL REBEL  PRIS- 
ONERS  THE  BURNING  SCHOONER— RETURN  1*0  THE  “LOUIS- 
IANA.”   Pages  155-171 

CHAPTER  X. 

LAUNCH  OF  THE  SCHOONER  “ RENSHAW  ” — LETTER  FROM  PHIL 

FIGHT  WITH  SMUGGLERS — BILL  LANG — STEALING  OLD  HOXIE’s 
WATCH — THE  PLAN — CAUGHT  IN  THE  ATTEMPT — AT  THE  SHIP 

YARD MR.  MILLS  AND  HIS  WHISKEY MR.  DONZLEBERG,  THE 

DUTCHMAN MR.  MILLS  TREATS  THE  HANDS  TO  WHISKEY 

THE  FORGED  ORDER — IN  TROUBLE THE  LAUNCH. 

Pages  172-195 

CHAPTER  XL 

EXPEDITION  TO  GREENVILLE THE  STERN  WHEELER UP  TAR  RIVER 

— POSTING  PICKETS  IN  THE  WOODS — THE  WOODMAN’S  AXE 

TO  GREENVILLE  BY  LAND — ATTACKED  BY  THE  REBELS — THE 
REBELS  IN  AMBUSH — A COUNTER  AMBUSH — SHELLING  THE 
REBELS  — “ready,  AIM,  FIRE  ” — THE  SKIRMISH  WITH  THE 
REBELS — ADAM  BLUCHER  SERIOUSLY  WOUNDED — THE  RETREAT 
— THE  RETURN  DOWN  THE  RIVER — BLUCHER  CONVEYED  TO 
THE  HOSPITAL. Pages  196-210 


CHAPTER  XII. 

AT  WORK  IN  THE  BURIAL  LOT — FITTING  UP  HEADSTONES  TO  THE 
SOLDIKRS’  GRAVES — SHOT  ON  PICKKT — SAD  ' NEWS  FROM 
HOME — BACKING  OUT  WOOD  FROM  THE  SWAMP — REUBEN — 
HOW  HE  SOLD  THE  BOYS — “ I AVAS  SCARED  SOME,  WANT 
YOU?”—  “ MAN  OA'ERBOARD” — REUBEN  RESCUED  FROM  A 
WATERY  GRAAE — FOURTH  OF  JULY— THE  BOAT  RACE. 

Pages  211-230 

I 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

I 

SIEGE  OF  LITTLE  AVASHINGTON SURROUNDED  BY  A LARGE  FORCE 

OF  JOHNNIES  — SEA^ENTEEN  DAYS  FIGHTING THE  “COMMODORE 

hull”  ENGAGES  RODMAN  POINT  BATTERY— SHE  RUNS  AGROUND 

AT  THE  MERCY  OF  THE  REBELS  — SUPPLYING  THE  “ HULL  ” 

AVITH  AMMUNITION — THE  GUN-BOAT  “ CERES  ” RUNS  THE 
BLOCKADE — TO  STARAE  OR  SURRENDER — LANDING  TROOPS 
UNDER  FIRE  OF  THE  ENEMIES’  BATTERIES — MASTER’S  MATE, 
MR.  MC  KEEA^ER,  RUNS  THE  BLOCKADE  WITH  DISPATCHES  TO 

THE  FLEET BUILDING  A MAGAZINE  — A NARROW  ESCAPE 

“ GOLLY,  HO AV  DEM  REBS  DO  FROW  DAR  i’n  ” HOW  OUR 

CHIEF  ENGINEER.  MR.  LAY,  FOOLED  THE  REBELS THE  FIFTH 

* RHODE  ISLAND  TO  THE  RESCUE DEATH  OF  THE  PILOT THE 

SIKGE  RAISED — A REBEL’S  LETTER.  - Pages  231-254 


\ 


i 


YI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIY. 

POISONED  WATER — THE  NOVEL  MEDICINE  USED  TO  EFFECT  A CURE 

BOUND  TO  NEW  BERNE  FOR  SUPPLIES INSPECTED  BY 

C0MM0D6RE  rowan — TRIP  TO  HATTERAS — BATHING  ALONG- 
SIDE— ATTEND  'a  dance  ON  SHORE SWIMMING  ASHORE  IN 

THE  NIGHT-TIME — OUR  RETURN  TO  THE  “LOUISIANA  ” IN  THE 
MORNING — THRILLING  ADVENTURE  : IS  IT  A SHARK? — ON 

BOARD  AGAIN — UP  ANCHOR — OUR  RETURN  TO  WASHINGTON 
“I’SE  GLAD  TO  SEE  YER  OUT  DAR.”  - PagCS  255-274 

CHAPTER  XY. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  SIEGE A BRAVE  OFFICER A DARING  ACT TOO 

CLOSE  FOR  COMFORT DIGGING  UP  THE  ENEMIES’  SHOT 

SHANDY  MC  GUIRE  OF  THE  44tH  MASS. “OLD  NEVER  SWEAT  ” 

THE  LITTLE  BROWN  MOUSE IN  THE  FORT  UNDER  FIRE 

RUNNING  THE  PICKET  LINE — OUR  POWDER  BOY,  JOHNNY 

THE  DEAD  CONTRABAND — A FUNNY  INCIDENT — THE  SCOW. 

Pages  275-304 

CHAPTER  XYI. 

HOMEWARD  BOUND — FAREWELL  VISIT  TO  AUNT  PHEBE WE  MAKE 

HER  A PRESENT THE  PRESENTATION  SPEECH AUNT  PHEBE’s 

RESPONSE “ BRESS  YER,  BOYS,  BRESS  YER” — OUR  LAST  MEAL 

IN  AUNT  PHEBE’s  CABIN — ON  BOARD  THE  “ CURLEW  ” 

THREE  CHEERS  FOR  THE  “LOUISIANA” OFF  FOR  NEW 

BERNE — THE  ARRIVAL THE  TRANSPORT POOR  ACCOMMODA- 

TION— THE  CAPTAIN  VISITED — “ARE  YOU  CAPTAIN  OF  THIS 
CRAFT?” — “WHAT  DO  YOU  WANT?” — CLEANING  SHIP — SICK 
SOLDIERS  BROUGHT  ON  BOARD — INSIDE  HATTERAS  INLET — A 

TERRIBLE  NORTH-EAST  STORM  PREVAILS SHORT  RATIONS 

AT  SEA SICKNESS  AMONG  THE  SOLDIERS — TOM  TAKES  A 

TUMBLE THE  DYING  SOLDIER SHORTi  OF  DRINKING  WATER 

CLEAR  WEATHER ARRIVE  AT  NEW  YORK HOME  AGAIN 

FATE  OF  THE  “LOUISIANA.”  - - Pages  305-330 


REeOLLEeXIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


GRAPTCR  I. 


• 

THE  ENLISTMENT. 


The  war  of  the  rebellion  opened  a large  field  for 
writers,  and  gave  them  a theme  upon  which  to 
work,  that  will  not  grow  cold  for  a generation  to  come. 
The  half  can  never  be  written  of  the  sufferings  entailed 


upon  those  who  fought,  bled  and  died  that  their  country 
might  live.  Thousands  of  thrilling  stories  might  yet 
be  related  and  written  by  thousands  of  men,  still  liv- 
ing, who  went  through  the  war,  and  were  eye  witnesses 
to  many  episodes  which  never  have  yet  found  their  way 
into  print,  but  which  have  been  rehearsed  time  and 
time  again  at  the  regular  meetings  of  the  different 
V posts  throughout  the  United  States.  It  pleases  the 
rising  generation  to  read  of  the  part  their  fathers  took 
in  the  war,  and  I consider  it  to  be  the  duty  of  every 
returned  soldier,  while  memory  lasts,  to  write  his  ex- 
perience, that  the  ‘‘Grand  Army  of  the  Republic’^ 
2 


8 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


may  leave  a record  behind  them  for  the  future  genera- 
tions to  peruse,  of  which  none  will  be  ashamed  and 
the  world  appreciate.  I CQuld  go  on  for  hours  and 
state  reasons  why  these  things  should  be  done,  but  it 
is  not  for  that  I took  my  pen  in  hand.  It  was,  rather, 
to  relate  a story  of  the  war  in  such  plain  language, 
that  the  boys  of  the  United  States  could  easily  read 
nnd  fathom. 

The  scene  opens  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 

Three  boys,  ranging  from  fifteen  to  seventeen  years  of 
age,  are  sitting  in  the  yard  of  their  home,  olF  one  of  the 
principal  streets,  in  the  early  part  of  June,  1862. 
They  seemed  to  be  in  a state  of  excitement  about  some- 
thing ; perhaps  it  is  the  sound  of  the  drum  and  fife 
borne  to  their  ears,  as  a regiment  of  soldiers  are 
inarching  by  the  house,  and  the  steady  tramp,  tramp, 
tramp  of  their  feet  can  be  distinctly  heard  on  the 

dusty  pavements.  They  are  off  for  the  front.  Per- 

% 

haps  it  is  the  news  from  the  seat  of  war, — how  the 
boys  w^ent  into  the  fight ; of  the  terrible  slaughter  ; of 
the  list  of  the  dead  and  wounded,  and  the  missing  ones, 
with  all  of  which  the  newspaper  columns  are  teeming. 

It  was  partly  owing  to  all  this  news  from  the  front, 
that  caused  the  boys’  excitement ; but  the  main  olyect 
of  their  meeting  was  to  talk  about  enlistment  in  the 
army.  The  call  of  Uncle  Sam  for  more  troops,  to 
help  put  down  the  rebellion,  had  stirred  the  boys  up 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


9 


at  last,  to  that  pitch,  that  they  determined  to  enlist 
that  very  day.  The  different  branches  of  the  service 
were  discussed  pro  and  con,  but  they  could  not  seem 
to  agree  upon  any  particular  branch  of  it.  “Either 
would  do  to  get  killed  in,”  ventured  Tom,  a remark 
which  caused  a general  laugh. 

“What  say  you  boys  to  our  taking  a cruise?” 

“What  do  you  mean  by  taking  a cruise,  Steve?” 
chorused  both  Tom  and  Phil  interrupting  me  and  jump- 
ing off  the  log  they  were  sitting  on  at  the  time  the 
above  question  was  propounded. 

“Well,  I will  try  to  convey  to  you,  as  well  as  I can, 
my  meaning.” 

“Drive  ahead,”  said  Tom. 

“Yes,  drive  ahead,”  echoed  Phil. 

“If  you  will  both  listen  to  me  now  I will  endeavor 
to  impart  to  you  my  meaning.  You  are  aware  that 
there  is  a war  in  progress — hold  on,  do  not  interrupt 
me  now  at  your  peril,”  as  both  Phil  and  Tom  sprang 
up  from  the  log  whereon  they  had  seated  themselves 
again — “between  the  North  and  South,”  continued  I, 
while  Phil  and  Tom  nodded  assent.  “Well,  to  be 
brief,  let’s  enlist  in  the  navy,  we  three,  for  a term  of 
service,  or  during  the  war.” 

“Well,  what  have  you  to  say  to  it,  boys?  Is  the 
idea  a good  one  or  not?”  continued  I. 

“I  have  this  to  say”  exclaimed  Tom,  jumping  up^ 


10  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

‘‘your  sudden  announcement  has  almost  taken  my 
breath  away,  but  you  can  count  me  in,  nevertheless, 
every  time.” 

“Hooray  ! That’s  the  ticket,”  exclaimed  Phil,  roll- 
ing off  the  log  in  his  excitement.  “Hooray !”  he 
again  sang  out,  “you’ve  hit  the  nail  on  the  head  this 
time,  Steve,  and  no  mistake,”  and  he  began  marching 
round  the  yard  to  the  tune  of  an  imaginary  fife  with  a 
piece  of  wood  he  had  picked  up  in  the  yard  to  his  lips. 

Tom  in  the  meanwhile  began  singing, 

“We’ll  be  off  to  the  wars  again. 

My  peaceful  home  has  now  no  charms  for  me 

The  battlefield  no  pain.” 

0 

“Well,  now,  fellows,  if  you  have  had  enough  of 

that  kind  of  music  perhaps  you  will  listen  to  what  I am 
about  to  say.” 

“Yes,”  said  Tom,  “we  are  now  ready  and  willing 
to  listen  to  you,  and  perhaps  accede  to  all  your  de- 
mands.” 

“In  the  first  place,  then,  I have  this  question  to  pro- 
pose to  Phil.” 

“Me?”  said  Phil. 

“Silence  in  the  ranks,  and  answer  only  when  you 
are  spoken  to.  Phil,”  continued  I.  “has  been  march- 
ing round  the  yard,  throwing  his  cap  high  in  the  air 
in  his  excitement,  but  he  has  not  said  right  out  that  he 
would  join  us  in  our  cruise.” 


( 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


11 


“Well,  I — ” commenced  Phil. 

\ 

“Silence,”  said  I.  “Now  attention;  all  you  in 
favor  of  joining  with  me  and  enlisting  in  the  United 
States  navy  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war,  will 
please  make  it  manifest  by  raising  your  right  hands. 
One,  two,”  said  I,  counting  the  upraised  hands  and 
some  imaginary  ones.  “Contrary  minds — ah,  I see 
no  hands  up.  The  ayes  have  it,  and  we  are  all  to  en- 
list.” 

“Now  then,  listen  attentively  to  what  I have  to  say 
to  you.  We  have  made  up  our  minds  to  enlist  for  the 
war.  Have  you  thought  over  the  probable  consequences 
of  such  an  act?  Hardly,  I think.  In  the  first  place, 
we  have  to  ask  our  parents  consent,  or  inform  them 
when  it  will  be  too  late  for  them  to  act  in  the  matter. 
In  the  second  place,  have  you  thought  over  the  home 
comforts  we  must  sacrifice,  and  the  perils  and  ex- 
posures we  must  endure  when  we  join  the  navy?  Do 
you  think  of  the  heart  aches  we  shall  cause  to  the  loved 
ones  at  home,  when  we  break  the  news  of  our  deter- 
mination to  them.  If  so,  then  we  are  prepared  to  take 
the  first  step,  which  is  enlistment.” 

Silence  reigned  for  a moment,  and  then  both  boys 
cried  : “Yes,  yes.  We  are  willing  to  do  all  you  have 
said,  and,”  said  Tom,  “I  am  willing  to  do  more:  I 
am  willing  to  face  death  to  help  our  brave  boys  in  the 
field  to  put 'down  this  rebellion.” 


12  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

“I  am  with  you  heart  and  hand  in  all  your  plans,” 
said  Phil,  “so  now,  let  us  shake  hands  upon  it,  and 
then  make  for  the  rendezvous  ; and,”  he  added,  “there 
is  one  thing  I should  like  to  mention  before  we  start.  I 
made  up  my  mind  while  you  were  regaling  us  with  your 
speech,  that — that — I shall  not  go  home,  neither  before, 
^nor  after  our  enlistment,  until  our  term  of  service  ex- 
pires.” 

“Nor  I,”  said  Tom.  ^ 

“Why,  how  is  this?  Do  you  not  want  to  see  your 
parents  and  bid  them  good-bye  before  we  leave,  per- 
haps never  to  return  again?” said  I. 

“Well,  I do  hate  a scene,  and  I know  just  how  it 
will  be,  if  we  go  home  and  tell  them  what  we  intend 
doing ; mother  will  cry  and  picture  to  us  the  dangers^ 
we  shall  have  to  encounter,  and  strive  to  have  us  put 
off  going,  and  in  the  end  we  shall  accede  to  her  en- 
treaties ; then  we  shall  have  to  go  through  a lot  of 
speech  making  again,  at  some  future  time,  to  prepare 
for  another  start.” 

“Well,  what  do  you  propose  doing  then?  Run  off 
in  the  night,  as  if  we  were  ashamed  of  what  we  are 
about  to  do?  For  my  part,  I think  that  our  parents  will 
see  that  we  are  determined  to  go,  and  will  be  proud  to 
think  that  they  have  sons  who  are  ready  and  willing  to 
fight  the  battles  of  their  country ; of  course  they  will 
feel  badly,  and  will  endeavor  to  keep  us  at  home  a 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


13 


little  longer,  it  would  not  be  natural  in  them  if  they 
did  not.  But  in  the  end,  they  will  accept  the  inevitable 
and  allow  us  to  go  with  their  prayers  and  blessings 
following  us.  Don’t  you  both  think  that  it  would  be 
better  for  us  to  inform  them  of  our  purpose?  If  not, 
then  unfold  your  plans  and  I will  see  if  they  meet  with 
my  approval ; for  my  part  I cannot  see  any  other  way 
out  of  it.  What  if  there  is  a scene?  It  is  soon  over, 
and  we  can  then  go  away  with  the  happy  feeling  that 
we  have  done  our  duty.” 

“It’s  all  very  well,  Steve,  what  you  have  said,  and  I 
honor  you  all  the  more  for  having  said  it,”  said  Tom, 
“but  nevertheless,  I still  continue  to  say  as  before,  I 
shan’t  go  home,  and  the  first  intimation  they  will  have 
of  my  enlistment  will  be  when  I write  to  them,  which 
I shall  do  in  the  course  of  a day  or  two.” 

“Now  let  me  tell  you  boys  the  best  way  out  of  this 
difficulty,  for  I have  made  up  my  mind  not  to  go  home 
and  stand  a scene,”  said  Phil. 

“Well,  what  is  your  plan,”  said  I,  “perhaps  we  can 
arrange  it  so  that  you  and  Tom  can  go  home  and  not 
have  a scene,  as  you  call  it.” 

“My  plan  is  this,”  said  Phil,  “Steve  must  go  home 
and  tell  father  and  mother  after  we  have  enlisted,  you 
know  you  can  do  it,  Steve,  and  explain  it  all,  so  that 
they  will  look  differently  upon  our  going,  than  if  we 
both  went  home.  Say,  will  you  agree  to  it?” 


t 


14  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  A SAILOR  BOY. 

/ 

Seeing  that  it  was  useless  to  urge  them  more  I agreed 
to  accept  the  alternative,  and  we  started  for  the  recruit- 
ing office,  which  was  situated  at  the  corner  of  Canal 
street  and  Market  square.  We  stole  silently  out  of 
the  yard,  for  fear  our  parents  would  discover  us,  and 
find  work  for  us  to  do,  and  thus  prevent  our  enlistment 
on  that  day.  To  tell  the  truth,  I felt  like  «a  culprit, 
sneaking  out  of  my  own  yard  in  such  a manner,  and  I 
told  Phil  and  Tom  so. 

“Pooh,”  said  Tom,  “it  will  be  all  right  sometime.” 
“Yes,”  said  Phil,  “It  will  be  all  right  as  Tom  says, 
and  when  we  return,  if  we  don’t  get  shot,  we  will  not 
sneak  into  the  yard  as  you  say  we  are  sneaking  out.” 
But  little  more  was  said  by  either  of  us  on  our  way 
to  the  recruiting  station,  which  we  reached  in  due 
season,  mounting  the  flight  of  steps  which  led  from 
the  street  to  the  room  above  where  Captain  Salisbury 
had  his  office,  and  where  all  recruits  for  the  navy  weijp 
enlisted.  As  we  entered  the  room,  I observed  some 
sailors,  or  men  in  seamen’s  garb,  sitting  round  the  room 
on  benches  ranged  alongside  the  wall.  One  of  them 
got  up  upon  our  entrance,  and  came  towards  us  and  I 
saw  that  he  was  intoxicated.  As  he  tried  to  approach, 
one  of  his  friends  took  hold  of  him  and  forced  him 
down  into  his  seat  again.  Crossing  the  room,  we 
sauntered  up  to  a desk  where  sat  a man  in  the  uniform 
of  the  United  States  navy. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  15 

“Well,  young  men,”said  he,  in  a gruff  tone  of  voice, 
<‘what  do  you  want?” 

“We  want  to  enlist  in  the  navy,”  answered  I. 

Upon  the  utterance  of  those  words,  the  man  who  was 
intoxicated  rose  to  his  feet,  and  staggered  toward  us, 
and  in  a thick  guttural  tone  said,  “Whar  ye-hic-say? 
Want  to  list?  Well,  shiver  my  timbers  ; what  ’en-hic- 
h — 11  is  the-hic-navy  cornin’  to  when  they  take-hic-such 
whipper-snappers  as  you  are  to  fight  the  battles  of  our- 
hic-country-hic ;”  and  he  reeled  against  Tom  as  he 
finished  speaking  and  leered  into  his  face.  Tom  sidled 
away  from  the  drunken  sailor,  and  at  the  same  time 
said,  “I  suppose  you  call  yourself  a specimen  of  the 
men  Uncle  Sam  hires  to  do  the  fighting,  if  so,  then  all 
I’ve  got  to  say  is  God  help  our  country.” 

“Look  here  now,”  said  the  sailor  blustering  up  to 
Tom,  “you  had  better-hic-belay  that  jaw  tackle  of  yours 
and  keep  a-hic-civil  tongue  in  your  head  when  your 
betters  are  talking  to  ye-hic.” 

“My  betters,”  said  Tom,  “well  that’s  good,  aint  it 
Steve  ?”  turning  and  addressing  me.  Then  turning  to- 
wards the  sailor,  who  was  steadying  himself  against 
the  partition,  he  said,  “now  look  here  my  man,  we  did 
not  come  here  to  have  any  trouble,  we  came  here 
to  enlist  and  we  are  going  to  do  so,  if  the  captain,” 
pointing  to  Captain  Salisbury,  who  was  sitting  behind 
the  desk  writing,  “don’t  want  us,  and  can’t  keep  such 


16 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


fellows  as  you  from  insulting  decent  people,  why  we 
will  go  somewhere  else  and  join.” 

“Oh,  no!  my  little  bantam.  I’ll  larn  ye  who  ye 
are-hic-talking  to,  and  I’ll  give  ye  a lesson  now  to 
remember  me  by  when  ye  get  aboard  the  ship,”  and  the 
fellow  who  had  become  somewhat  sobered  off  during  the 
hot  flow  of  words,  stepped  towards  Tom  and  com- 

menced  rolling  up  his  sleeves.  At  this  juncture.  Cap- 

\ 

tain  Salisbury  came  briskly  from  behind  the  desk  and 
interposed  his  person  between  Tom  and  the  belligerent 
sailor  and  addressing  him  said,  “My  man,  this  has 
gone  far  enough.  I’ll  have  no  fighting  here  in  my  office. 
You  will  have  all  the  chance  to  fight  you  want,  when 
you  get  to  the  front ; and  besides,  this  is  nothing  but  a 
mere  boy,”  turning  towards  Tom  and  patting  him  on 
the  shoulder.  “Why,  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  to 
want  to  fight  a boy.” 

“D — him.  Til  thrash  him,”  said  the  irate  sailor, 
as  he  made  for  Tom.  Phil  and  I had  in  the  meantime 
ranged  up  alongside  Tom,  and  thinking  it  about  time 
for  me  to  interfere,  although  I knew  that  he  was  able 
to  take  care  of  himself,  I stepped  up  to  the  angry  sea- 
man and  told  him  to  keep  his  hands  off  or  it  would  be 
the  worse  for  him  ; adding,  “you  cannot  whip  any  one 
here,  and  I’m  sure  that  you  cannot  scare  us.”  At  this 
interruption,  the  man  broke  away  from  those  who  were 
holding  him,  and  made  a rush  for  Tom  again.  Now  it  was 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


17 


against  my  principles  to  fight,  but  I made  up  my  mind 
that  if  the  sailor  was  getting  the  better  of  him  I would 
interfere.  Tom  stood  coolly  awating  his  antagonist, 
and  when  he  got  within  clinching  distance  he  stepped 
aside,  tripped  him  up,  and  the  seaman  went  sprawling 
on  the  floor.  A loud  laugh  at  the  mishap  from  a half 
dozen  men  in  the  room  only  served  to  make  the  sailor 
more  angry,  and  as  he  had  now  become  partially  sobered 
by  reason  of  his  exertions,  he  might  be  too  much  for 
Tom  to  handle.  As  the  fellow  rose  to  his  feet,  Tom, 
whose  anger  now  began  to  kindle  at  the  unprovoked 
assault,  warned  him  to  keep  away.  ‘‘I  don’t  want  to 
fight,  although  that’s  what  I came  to  enlist  for,”  said 
Tom  ; but  the  thoroughly  maddened  man  sprang  at 

him  and  tried  to  close  in,  but  Tom,  by  backing  around 

\ 

the  room  and  dodging  this  way  and  that,  managed  to 

elude  the  grasp  of  his  antagonist.  Finally,  as  the 

« 

fellow  made  a more  desperate  onslaught,  Tom  stepped 

on  one  side,  and  dealt  his  opponent  a stunning  blow 
under  the  ear,  and  the  man  went  down  like  a felled  ox. 

Cries  of  “Good,”  “Plucky  fellow,”  “He’s  enough 
for  him,”  followed  the  downfall  of  the  burly  tar.  I 
now  informed  Captain  Salisbury  that  he  must  interfere 
and  take  the  man  away ; whereupon  the  captain  and 
two  others  of  the  seamen  present,  at  least  they  wore  the 
garb  of  Uncle  Sam,  clinched  the  infuriated  “jack  tar” 


18 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


and  bore  him  away  into  another  room,  despite  his 
struggles  and  imprecations. 

While  they  were  absent,  one  of  the  sailors,  a middle 
aged  man,  approached  and  questioned  us  in  regard  to 
ourselves.  ‘‘You  are  a plucky  young  fellow,”  he  said 
addressing  Tom,  after  we  had  furnished  him  with  all 
the  information  he  required,  “and  I only  hope  I shall  be 
lucky  enough  to  get  drafted  into  the  same  ship  with  ye 
all ; I’ll  bet  my  last  dollar  on  either  one  of  ye,  and  I’ll 
give  ye  a little  advice,  so  be  it  ye  will  take  it  kindly.” 
Tom  said  he  would  be  very  glad  to  except  any  advice 
from  him  and  thought  he  could  also  speak  for  his  friends. 
We  assured  the  kindly  disposed  sailor  that  we  would  be 
thankful  for  advice  from  a man  older  than  ourselves, 
and  one  who  looked  as  if  he  had  done  service.  “You 
may  be  sure  of  that  my  boy,”  holding  out  a pair  of 
rough  horny  hands  to  our  gaze.  “They  are  rough 
looking  now,  aint  they?” 

They  assuredly  were  rough  looking,  and  one  could 
almost  imagine  seeing  barnacles  on  them.  “These 
hands  are  rough,”  continued  he,  still  holding  them 
towards  us,  “but  thev  never  did  a dishonest  deed, 
and  God  helping  me,  they  never  will  as  long  as  I 

I 

live.  Now  my  advice  to  ye  boys  is  just  this  : you  are 
just  the  age  to  run  into  temptation,  and  ye’ll  find  it  in 
the  army  and  navy,  mark  my  words  for  that ; learn  to 
say  no  to  all  that  tends  to  evil ; look  up  to  your 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


19 


superior  officers ; be  quick  and  prompt  to  obey  their 

• 

orders,  and  when  duty  calls  spring  to  your  work  like 
men,  nor  count  the  danger  ; don’t  stop  to  think  in  fight- 
ing or  charging  the  enemy,  yqur  superiors  will  do 
the  thinking  and  you  will  do  the  work ; be  orderly 
and  neat  at  all  times  ; that  is  the  quickest  way  to  gain 
the  good  will  of  your  superiors,  and  when  they  see 
that  you  are  earnest  in  your  endeavors  to  learn,  my 
word  for  it,  boys,  they’ll  give  ye  the  chance  to  work 
your  way  up.  They  despise  a shirk,  and  the  lot  of  one 
is  not  a happy  life  on  board  ship.  Now,  if  what  I’ve 
said  will  help  ye  any  in  your  term  of  service  ye  are 
welcome^  to  it,”  and  the  old  sailor,  giving  a hitch  to  his 
pants,  and  rolling  his  quid  over  in  his  mouth,  pro- 
ceeded to  seat  himself  on  one  of  the  benches  in  the 
room,  while  I stepped  up  to  the  paptain’s  desk,  (the 
captain  having  entered  his  office  again  while  we  were 
listening  to  the  old  sailor,)  followed  by  Tom  and  Phil. 
“Now  then,  young  men,”  said  the  captain,  “just  sign 
your  names  in  this  book  and  then  you  will  be  ready  to 
go  to  Boston  this  afternoon,  and  if  you  pass  the  medi- 
cal examination  there,  you  will  be  prepared  to  go  on 
board  the  recruiting  ship  “Ohio”  to-night  and  take 
your  first  meal  aboard  ship.”  Without  more  ado,  Tom 
and  Phil  signed  their  names  on  the  enlistment  book. 
When  it  came  my  turn  to  sign,  I took  up  the  pen 


20 


RECOLLECTIOlSrS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


and  looking  at  the  captain  said,  “Captain,  I am  going 
to  sign  my  name  to  this  book  upon  conditions.” 

“Upon  conditions,  hey?” 

“Yes,  sir.” 

♦ 

“Well,  what  are  your  conditions?”  said  the  captain. 
“That  I may  be  allowed  to  visit  my  home  and  report 
here  for  duty  at  any  time  Monday  morning  that  you 
may  chose  to  name.” 

The  captain  thought  a moment  and  looked  intently 
in  my  eyes,  then  said,  “All  right,  my  lad.  I’ll  give 
you  a week  if  you  want  it.” 

“I  do  not  wish  so  long  a time  as  a week.” 

“Well  then,”  said  the  captain,  “report  here  at  ten 
o’clocji  Monday  morning,  so  as  to  be  in  readiness  to 
take  the  eleven  o’clock  train  for  Boston  on  that  day.” 

“ Yery  well,  sir,  under  these  conditions  I will  sign  my 
name,”  and  with  a flourish  I wrote  my  name  in  the 
book  under  Tom  and  Phil’s  chirography.  Turning  to 
the  boys,  I held  out  a hand  to  each,  and  bidding  them 
good-bye,  told  them  I would  break  it  as  easily  as  I 
could  to  father  and  mother,  and  meet  them  on  board 
the  ship  Monday afternoon,  or  perhaps  in  time  to 
take  dinner  with  them,  when  I would  recount  to 
them  my  success  as  peace-maker;  “So  good-bye, 
Phil,  good-bye,  Tom,”  and  I hurried  out  of  the  door 
and  descended  the  steps  into  the  street.  I stood  awhile 
on  the  sidewalk  musing  on  the  events  just  happened  and 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


21 


considering  whether  it  would  be  best  to  go  right  home 
and  tell  our  parents  what  we  had  done,  or  wait  until 
later.  After  pondering  over  it  awhile,  I canie  to  the 
conclusion  to  go  immediately  home  and  have  it  off  my 
mind.  So  facing  in  that  direction,  I arrived  at  home 

V 

after  a brisk  walk  of  twenty  minutes  or  more,  and 
entering  the  sitting  room  found  mother  and  the  girls 
seated  around  the  room  en^a^ed  in  sewing.  Mother 
looked  up  as  I entered  and  took  a seat,  and  noticing 
something  unusual  in  my  looks  and  manner,  gently 
inquired  if  I was  well.  I answered  her  in  the  aflSrma- 
tive. 

‘‘Where’s  Philip?  Have  j^ou‘ been  with  him  to- 
day?” asked  Julia,  looking  up  from  her  sewing  and 
eyeing  me  inquisitively.  I arose  and  walked  restlessly 
across  the  room,  then  returned  and  seated  myself  again 
in  the  chair  that  I had  just  vacated.  My  sister  Emeline 
stopped  in  the  middle  of  her  crocheting  at  this  question 
from  Julia,  looked  attentively  at  me  for  a moment, 
then  crossed  the  room  and  came  to  my  chair.  Placing 
her  hand  upon  my  shoulder,  and  looking  soberly  in  my 
face  she  said,  “I’ll  tell  you  what  the  difficulty  is ; you 
do  not  need  to  utter  one  word  ; you  have  enlisted  to  go 
to  the  war.” 

Half  the  battle  was  won,  and  my  courage  rose  to 
the  emergency.  ' 


22 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


“You  are  silent;  does  that  mean  that  Em  is  right?” 
inquired  Abby. 

“Speak,  my  son,  let  me  know  the  worst;”  said 
mother,  looking  at  me  sorrowfully  and  brushing  a tear 
off  her  cheek  that  had  fallen  there  during  my  silence. 

“Yes,  mother ; Phil  and  I have  enlisted  in  the  navy, 
and  so  has  Tom  Durand.  Phil  and  Tom  are  already 
on  their  way  to  Boston  navy  yard,  and  to-night  they 
will  sleep  on  board  the  recruiting  ship  “Ohio.”  Mon- 
day I shall  be  on  my  way  to  the  same  rendezvous.” 

I will  pass  over  the  scene  that  followed  and  the 
exciting  debate  with  my  father  later  in  the  day.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  although  many  tears  were  shed,  one  and 
all  became  reconciled  to  our  enlistment  and  departure, 
and  tried  hard  to  look  upon  the  bright  side.  It  was 
late  Sunday  night  when  I retired  to  rest,  but  not  to 
sleep,  for  1 tossed  about  on  my  pillow  all  night,  and 
do  what  I might,  I could  not  “ woo  the  drowsy  god.” 
When  I arose  in  the  morning,  I did  not  feel  very  much 
refreshed.  Very  little  was  said  by  any  of  the  family 
as  we  all  gathered  around  the  beakfast  table,  perhaps, 
thought  I,  for  the  last  time.  The  morning  was  bright 
and  pleasant,  and  I was  forced  to  fly  around  to  get 
ready  to  report  at  ten  o’clock,  as  I had  promised  to. 
The  girls  hurried  about  to  assist  me  in  getting  ready  so 
that  I should  not  be  late.  In  due  time,  I was  ready, 
and  after  standing  a volley  of  kisses,  and  shaking 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


23 


hands  with  my  father,  who  wished  us  a speedy  journey 
and  a safe  return,  I was  off  down  the  front  steps,  two 
at  a time.  At  the  gate  I halted,  and  turning  to  the 
group  assembled  on  the  door  steps,  waved  my  hand, 
and  Julia,  taking  off  one  of  her  slippers,  threw  it  after 
me  for  luck. 

Ten  minutes  of  ten  o’clock,  I stood  in  front  of  Cap- 
tain Salisbury’s  desk  and  reported  myself  “Eeturned,, 
sir.” 

“Very  well,”  said  the  captain  looking  up  from  the 
Providence  Journal  he  was  perusing,  “you  can  take 
a seat  on  the  bench  over  there.  I have  a number  of’ 
recruits  to  go  down  to-day  at  eleven  o’clock,  and  you 
can  go  with  them.” 

Time  passed  slowly  away  while  waiting  for  eleven 
o’clock,  and  I improved  it  by  watching  others  coming 
in  to  enlist,  and  taking  note  of  those  already  enlisted, 
some  of  them,  perhaps,  to  be  my  companions  aboard 
the  same  ship.  There  were  some  that  already  wore 
the  garb  of  seamen  and  had  probably  seen  service, 
although  there  were  many  more,  like  myself,  who 
had  the  art  of  seamanship  to  learn, ^and,  also,  all  the 
trials  and  vexations  to  undergo  as  a new  man  aboard 
ship.  Just  before  Eleven  o’clock,  we  were  ordered  to 
fall  in  and  wej^e  marched  to  the  Providence  and  Boston 

depot,  where  we  took  the  train  for  the  “Hub.” 

3 


24 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


We  arrived  in  Boston  in  due  time,  and  were  con- 
ducted to  the  office  of  the  medical  examiner,  near 
North  street,  where  we  were  to  undergo  a preliminary 
examination.  Arriving  there  I was  ushered,  when  it 
came  my  turn,  into  the  examining  room,  where  sat  a 
gray-headed  old  man  busily  engaged  in  writing.  With- 
out turning  his  head  at  my  entrance,  he  said,  sotto  voce, 
^‘Pick  up  "that  book.”  Now  I had  always  prided  my- 
self on  my  quickness  of  hearing  and  ready  perception, 
and  supposing  the  words  were  intended  for  me,  as  I 
had  not  noticed  any  other  person  in  the  room  except 
the  doctor  upon  my  entrance,  I readily  stepped  for- 
ward and  picked  up  the  book.  The  doctor  looked  up 
and  said,  “I  see  your  hearing  is  good.  Now  stand  off 
a little  way  and  read  the  title  of  this  book,”  holding 
one  at  arm’s  length  from  him  in  the  opposite  direction 
from  where  I stood,  with  the  back  turned  towards  me. 
I easily  distinguished  the  title  and  read,  “United  States 

Coast  Survey,  18 18 — .” 

“So,  so,”  added  he,  “that’s  good.  Now  shut  your 
right  eye  and  read  this  title,”  holding  up  another  book 
to  my  view  and  about  four  feet  from  my  person.  Un- 
hesitatingly, I read,  “Report  of  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy.”  * V 

“Very  good,”  said  the  doctor  ; “now  close  the  left  eye 
and  read  this,”  holding  up  a smaller  book  to  my  gaze 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


25 


with  the  title  towards  me  as  before.  ‘‘Surgeon  Gen- 
eral’s Report.” 

“That  will  do,”  said- the  doctor,  interrupting  me  as 
I was  about  to  continue  ; then  getting  up  off  his  chair, 
he  told  me  to  throw  out  my  chest,,  which  I did.  He 
then  examined  my  lungs.  “Physically  you  are  sound,” 
said  he  ; “that  is  all,  you  may  retire.”  As  I went  out 
another  passed  in  to  be  examined.  After  all  had  been 
through  the  examination,  those  who  had  passed  were 
ordered  to  fall  in  and  we  were  marched  to  the  shipping 
office  of ^Hatch,  on  North  street,  where  we  were  sup- 

plied with  an  outfit,  consisting  of  the  following  named 
articles  : one  tin  quart  pot,  a pewter  spoon,  a table  knife 
and  fork,  one  tin  pan,  one  tin  plate,  a large  jack-knife 
with  a hole  in  the  handle  and  a white  cord  through  it, 
for  the  purpose  of  hanging  it  about  the  neck,  while  the 
knife  was  concealed  in  a pocket  at  our  waist,  one  hair 
comb  and  brush,  and  last  but  not  least,  a fine  tooth 
comb,  which  I thought  at  the  time  was  rather  suggestive. 
As  I put  the  comb  aside,  some  one  at  my  back  spoke 

I 

up  in  quite  a familiar  way,  =“I  say,  old  fellow,  you’ll 
have  occasion  to  use  that  before  many  days  elapse.” 
Ere  the  words  had  left  the  person’s  mouth,  I knew  from 
whom  they  proceeded,  and  turning  quickly  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  voice  I grasped  Tom  by  the  hand.  “How 
is  it,  Tom,  you  are  not  aboard  ship?  Where  is  Phil? 
Is  he  here?” 


26 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF^A  SAILOR  BOY. 


‘‘No,  he  went  on  board  Saturday  night;  you  see 
there  were  so  manv  recruits  that  the  doctors  were  una- 
ble  to  examine  all,  and  those  that  were  not,  I among 
the  rest,  were  put  up  at  a sailor’s  boarding-house  Sat- 
urday and  Sunday  nights,  and  this  morning  I passed 
the  doctor  all  right,  and  here  I am,  eager  to  proceed  on 
board  the  recruiting  ship  and  commence  my  duties  let 
them  be  what  they  may.” 

“And  I am  glad  of  your  company  on  board,  Tom.” 

All  being  supplied  with  the  articles  necessary  to  com- 
plete our  outfit,  we  received-orders  to  turn  our  steps  in 
the  direction  of  Charlestown  Navy  Yard.  Arriving 
there,  we  were  transferred  to  the  recruiting  ship  “Ohio” 
lying  at  anchor  in  the  stream.  We  were  transported 
from  the  shore  to  the  ship  by  means  of  a scow,  plying 
back  and  forth  between  the  vessel  and  the  wharf,  pro- 
pelled by  an  endless  chain  on  two  pulleys,  while  to 
turn  the  crank  on  each  side  were  two  men  detailed 
from  the  recruiting  ship  who  were  relieved  every  two 
hours.  The  scow  was  used  to  convey  the  officers  on 
shore  and  return  them  again  at  any  time  they  chose  to 
hail  the  ship.  It  was  also  used  to  transport  provisions 
and  convey  visitors,  who  came  to  see  their  friends,  on 
board.  I was  the  last  to  leave  the  scow  when  she 
touched  the  side  of  the  vessel.  I glanced  back  as  I 
was  ascending  the  first  step  on  the  ladder  leading  up  on 
the  shore  side  of  the  ship,  and  gave  the  sailor  who  had 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  27 

pulled  US  over,  what  I meant  for  a friendly  smile,  but 
which  he  chose  to  interpret  in  another  way.  He  prob- 
ably thought  I was  poking  fun  at  him ; in  fact,  he 
informed  me  afterwards  that  he  thought  I was  putting 
on  arirs. 

“You  need  not  grin,”  said  he,  “you  will  get  in  here 
soon  enough,”  and  he  performed  gyrations  with  his  fin- 
gers to  his  nose. 


% 


GHAPTER  II. 

J * ‘ 

« 

ON  BOARD  THE  GUARDO. 

1 

AS  WE  stepped  on  board,  what  a scene  met  our 
eyes.  Eight  diundred  men  and  boys,  at  least, 
were  walking  here  and  there  about  the  spar  deck,  and 
the  murmur  of  many  voices  was  borne  to  our  ears, 
sounding  for  all  the  world  like  a hive  of  bees  swarming. 
Crossing  the  deck  to  the  fore  hatchway,  we  followed 
our  conductor  down  the  ladder  that  led  to  the  gun  deck , 
and  from  there  down  another  ladder  to  the  berth  deck, 
then  aft  to  the  doctor’s^quarters  where  we  we  to  undergo 
another  examination  by  two  physicians.  It  being  near 
dinner  time,  we  were  told  to  wait ; so  seating  ourselves 
on  the  deck,  we  waited.  Soon  the  boatswain’s  whistle 
was  heard  summoning  the  crew  to  dinner. 

“I  wonder  if  they  will  allow  us  any  dinner,”  said 
Tom,  as  the  crowd  of  men  and  boys  came  rushing  down 
from  the  gun  and  spar  decks  and  seated  themselves 
around  the  mess  tables. 

I was  so  intent  upon  watching  for  Phil  in  the  crowd, 
that  I paid  no  attention  to  Tom’s  remark. 

‘‘What  are  you  looking  at  so  intently,”  at  length 
said  Tom. 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


29 


“Why,  I am  watching  to  see  Phil;  he  must  be  in 
this  crowd  somewhere.” 

t 

“Gracious,”  said  Torn,  ' (by  the  way,  “gracious”  was 
a favorite  expression  of  Tom’s,)  “I  had  forgotten  all 
about  Phil  in  this  infernal  din.” 

In  a moment  or  two,  a young  man  dressed  in  a navy 
suit  came  towards  us. 

# 

“It’s  Phil,  sure  as  I’m  alive,”  exclaimed  Tom. 

“Yes,  it  is  he,  but  I should  hardly  recognize  him  in 
those  clothes.” 

In  a moment  more  we  were  shaking  hands  with  him. 

“Jiminie  ! fellows,  I’m' glad  to  see  you,”  vociferated 
Phil,  “ how’s  father  and  mother?  What  did  they  say 
when  they  found  out  I’d  gone  off  without  coming  home  ? 
Did  Lizzie  cry?”  and  a volley  of  other  questions. 

I told  him  in  a few  words  of  all  that  had  transpired 
since  he  left  us  in  Providence.  “Of  course,  Phil, 
mother  and  father  and  the  girls  felt  sorry  to  have  you 
go  off  the  way  you  did,  but  they  are  reconciled  now, 
and  will  wait  anxiously  for  a letter  from  us.” 

“I  wrote  one  this  morning  and  mailed  it  home,”  said 
Phil. 

“Did  you  go  and  see  my  mother?”  said  Tom. 

“Yes,  I saw  her  and  she  was  grieved  to  think  her 
boy  should  leave  in  the  manner  he  did,  stealing  off  as 
if  he  had  done  a wrong,  I am  telling  you  just  as  she 
told  me,  Tom.  She  said,  ‘Tell  Thomas  I shall  pray  for 


30 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


his  safe  return,  but  if  his  life  is  laid  down  upon  the 
altar  of  his  country,  I shall  bow  submissive  to  the 
Lord’s  will.^  Tell  him  to  write  to  me  often,  and  if 
there  is  anything  he  wants  I will  send  it  to  him.’” 

“Well,  let’s  change  the  subject,”  said  Phil;  “Tom 
can  write  and  explain  how  nicely  fixed  we  are,  then 
she  will  not  feel  so  badly.” 

% 

Just  then  one  of  the  sailors  approached  us  and  asked 
,us  if  we  were  not  hungry.  I answered  him  in  the 
aflSrmative,  and  informed  him  that  I was  speaking  for 

the  whole  crowd — there  were  about  a dozen  others  who 

# 

came  on  board  with  us. 

“Well,  come  along  out  here  ; don’t  leave  your  pots 
and  pans,”  he  added,  as  we  laid  them  down  upon  the 

I 

deck  preparatory  to  following  him. 

“Why  not?” 

“Because  you  won’t  find  ’em  there  when  you  come 
back,”  said  he. 

So  we  gathered  up  our  pots  and  pans  and  followed 
our  new  friend.  He  led  us  about  midway  of  the  deck 
on  the  starboard  side  to  a large  table  and  bade  us  be 
seated.  We  had  no  more  than  taken  our  seats  around 
the  table,  when  we  were  supplied  with  an  abundance  of 
food,  such  as  it  was,  and  I thought  of  a very  indiflferent 
sort ; but  thinking  that  we  would  be  obliged  to  get  used  to 
such  rations,  we  “pitched  in”  and  were  soon  engaged  in 
masticating  the  far-famed  “hard  tack,”  that  we  had  heard 


" RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


31 


SO  much  about  but  had  never  eaten  before.  Our  din- 
ner consisted  of  hard  tack,  salt  beef,  pine-apple  cheese 

V 

and  cold  water  to  wash  it  down.  All  went  merry  with 
us  and  we  soon  had  a crowd  of  the  ship’s  company 
around  us  who  cracked  their  jokes  at  our  expense,  and 
asked  us  many  questions  about  what  was  transpiring 
outside  of  their  little  world.  During  a lull  in  the  fire 
of  words  between  us  and  the  ship’s  company,  one  young 
fellow  who  had  seated  himself  on  the  edge  of  the  table 
near  Tom,  said,  “I  say,  chum  why  don’t  you  break 
open  your  hard  tack  and  look  inside  before  you  gobble 
it  down  the  way  you  do  ?”  and  he  winked  at  one  of  his 
shipmates  standing  near,  at  which  they  both  laughed. 

I had  been  so  intent  upon  watching  what  was  going 
on  around  me,  that  I had  been  rather  indifferent  as  to 
the  quality  of  the  bread  we  were  eating,  bent  only  for 
the  time  being  upon  satiating  my  hunger.  But  the 
words  sounded  suggestive,  and  both  Tom  and  I at  once 
instituted  an  examination,  but  (lid  not  find  anything 
inside  to  cause  us  any  apprehension  or  uneasiness ; 
so  we  went  on  eating  as  before,  and  paid  no  more  atten- 
tion to  what  was  said  about  the  hard  tack,  although 
the  ship’s  boys  warned  us  that  there  were  worms  inside 
of  some  of  it,  and  only  for  this  being  an  exceptionally 
good  lot,  one  said  we  should  have  found  out  the  truth 

of  the  remark  long  ago. 

* 

“Well,  we  can  stand  it  if  the  worms  can,”  said  I. 


32 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


“Oh,  let  them  alone;  they  ain’t  had  nothin’  to  eat 
since  they  left  their  mammies,”  exclaimed  a bushy- 
headed  boy  in  the  crowd  whose  hair  was  fiery  red. 
This  remark  caused  a general  titter  to  run  through  the 
crowd  of  seamen  and  ship’s  boys  gathered  round. 

Tom  looked  up  with  his  mouth . full  and  eyed  the 
speaker  for  a second  or  two,  then  said,  “Put  him  on 
shore,  fellows,  he’ll  set  the  ship  on  fire.” 

“Ha-ha-ha,”  laughed  the  others,  and  a tall,  good- 
looking  man  observed,  “He  had  you  there,  Reddy.” 
“Reddy,”  as  he  was  called  by  the  others,  was  a nick- 
name given  to  him  when  he  first  appeared  over  the  side 
of  the  ship,  by  some  of  the  ship’s  boys. 

Now  Reddy,  as  we  will  continue  to  call  him,  did 
not  like  this  illusion  to  the  color  of  his  hair,  and  retorted 
by  asking  Tom  if  old  Hatch  had  supplied  him  with  a 
hayseed  comb?  He  evidently  thought  Tom  was  from 
the  country. 

“It  is  plain  to  be  seen,”  answered  Tom,  “that  you 
need  some  other  kind  of  comb,  a fine  tooth  rake  for  in- 
stance would  do  to  begin  with.” 

“Go  in.  Country.” 

“Up  and  at  him  Reddy,”  and  the  like  expressions, 
quickly  followed  each  other  from  the  now  fast  gather- 
ing  throng,  attracted  to  the  spot  by  the  loud  laughter 
of  those  gathered  around  the  table,  and  the  desire  for 

X 

any  kind  of  excitement  to  help  to  pass  the  time  away. 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


33 


Now  to  have  a new  man  on  board  and  to  get  the  best 
of  him  in  bandiage,  was  just  what  Bill,  or  Reddy, 
evidently  did  not  like,  so  in  a blustering  way  he  ap- 
proached Tom  and  said,  ‘‘Look  ye  here,  now,  you’d 

% 

better  keep  a civil  tongue  in  yer  head  and  don’t  sass 
yer  betters.” 

“I’ll  take  your  advice  when  I arrive  where  they  are,” 
retorted  Tom,  with  a sly  twinkle  in  one  corner  of  his 
eye  which  I knew  boded  mischief  to  Reddy  if  he  ad- 
vanced to  the  attack. 

“Oh,  you  think  you’re  smart,  don’t  ye  now?”  and  he 
put  his  fist  close  to  Tom’s  face. 

Tom  knocked  Reddy’s  fist  on  one  side,  and  arose 
from  the  table.  The  excitement  was  at  its  height  now 
and  the  prospects  of  a fight  drew  nearly  every  man  on 
the  berth  deck. 

I thought  it  about  time  now  to  interfere,  for  a little 

I 

spark  quickly  kindles  a fiame  among  a thousand  men 
and  boys  confined  on  shipboard,  and  we  being  in  the 
right,  I was  determined  not  to  let  the  bully  back  Tom 
down,  but  meant  tO'  avoid  a fight  if  possible ; so 
stepping  between  Tom  and  Reddy  I said  to  the  latter, 
“Look  here  now,  this  has  gone  far  enough,  you  com- 
menced this  trouble,  and  because  Tom  here  got  the 
best  of  it,  you  get  mad  and  want  to  fight.  Now  there 
is  not  going  to  be  any  fighting  done  here,  unless  I take 
a hand  in  it,  so  if  you  feel  inclined,  why,  just  pitch  in 


I 


34 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


that’s  all,”  and  I rolled  up  my  sleeves.  I don’t  know 
what  might  have  happened,  but  just  then  some  one  in 
the  crowd  gave  a signal  that  all  seemed  to » understand, 
except  us,  who  were  pew  men,  crowning  it  with  the 
expression,  ‘‘Jimmy  Legs,”  and  the  crowd  disappeared 
like  mist,  and  in  its  place  stood  a tall,  gaunt,  broad- 
shouldered,  hard-featured  man,  but  with  kindly  eyes 
that  beamed  on  us  with  a benevolent  expression  while 
he  inquired  what  the  trouble  was.  He  proved  to  be 
the  master-at-arms. 

In  a few  words  I explained  to  him  the  wrangle  be- 
tween Tom  and  Reddy.  * 

“I  thought  so,”  said  the  man  in  a gruff  tone  of 
voice,  “that  boy  is  always  making  trouble.  I shall  be 
glad  when  he  is  drafted  from  this  ship.  But  I see  you 
are  new  men ; have  you  been  examined  by  the  ship’s 
surgeon  yet?” 

“No,  sir.” 

“Well,  follow  me  and  I will  lead  you  to  the  ‘sick 
bay’  where  the  surgeons  now'  are  ; once  pass  the  ship’s 
doctors,”  added  he,  as  we  walked  aft  towards  the  sick 
bay,  “and  get  your  sailors’  rig  on,  you  will  not  have 
much  trouble,  if  you  only  keep  your  mouth  closed  and 
don’t  let  everybody  know  that  you  are  new  men  on 
board  ship,  although  the  ship’s  boys  will  give  you  some 
little  trouble,  yet  keep  your  weather  eye  open,  and 
don’t  ask  questions  until  you  get  aboard  your  own 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


35 


ship,  and  my  word  for  it,  you’ll  get  along.  I’ve  been 
through  it  all  boys,  and  I know  what  I am  talking 
about.” 

Upon  reaching  the  sick  bay  we  found  the  surgeons 
in  readiness  to  commence  the  examination.  The  sick 
bay  is  where  the  sick  and  disabled  are  cared  for,  being 
a room  perhaps  fifteen  feet  square,  where  the  sick  were 
put  into  hammocks,  swung  on  one  side  of  the  room  and 
close  to  the  fioor.  In  fact,  all  kinds  of  surgery  were 
carried  on  in  the  “bay,”  even  to  the  extracting  of  teeth. 

Tom  was  the  last  but  one  to  be  examined,  and  that  one 
was  myself.  I felt  rather  anxious  about  the  examina- 
tion, as  two  or  three  had  been  discarded  as  not  being  per- 
fectly sound ; nevertheless  I assumed  a bold  front,  and 
as  I went  in  passed  Tom  coming  out. 

“It’s  all  right,  Steve,  if  anything  is  the  matter  with 
you,  those  fellows,”  jerking  his  thumb  in  the  direction 
whence  he  had  come,  “will  be  sure  to  find  it  out.” 

Immediately  upon  entering  the  room  I was  told  to 
strip,  which  I did  with  alacrity,  and  then  the  way  the 
doctors  examined  my  make-up  was  astonishing,  to  say 
the  least  of  it.  Every  bone  in  my  body  was  fumbled 
over  and  manipulated ; I was  made  to  run,  jump,  strike 
out  with  my  arms,  cough  and  make  many  other  seem- 
ingly useless  actions ; last  of  all  my  molars  were  thor- 
oughly inspected,  the  doctor  forcing  his  thumb  and 
forefinger  into  my  mouth,  causing  me  to  open  it  to  its 


36 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


utmost  extent,  while  he  felt  each  and  every  tooth  in  my 
head  to  see  if  any  were  loose.  I do  not  think  I should 
like  to  be  subjected  to  the  same  again,  for  being  the  last 
in  the  party  to  undergo  the  doctor’s  scrutiny,  I could 
not  help  thinking  that  he  neglected  to  wash  his  hands 
during  the  investigation.  Satisfied  that  my  teeth 
were  all  right,  the  doctor^said  I would  do.  Next, 
we  were  marched  aft  to  draw  our  clothes.  Each  man 
was  furnished  with  a black  bag  in  which  to  put  his 
clothes ; one  pair  of  white  duck  pants,  one  white  shirt 
with  blue  collar,  one  pair  of  blue  pants,  one  blue  shirt 
with  wide  collar  and  a white  star  worked  on  each  cor- 
ner; two  pairs  of  woolen  stockings,  ^ undershirts  and 
drawers,  one  canvass  hammock,  two  single,  or  one  double 
blanket,  for  all  of  which  we  were  obliged  to  sign  a 
book ; then  a blank  form  was  filled  out  and  given  to 
each  man,  being  a plain  statement  of  what  he  owed  the 
ship,  the  same  to  be  taken  out  of  his  pay  at  the  end  of 
his  term  of  service.  Looking  the  paper  over  I found 
that  I was  in  debt  to  the  ship  three  months’  pay,  or  as 
Tom  expressed  it,  we  had  got  to  work  for  a<lead  horse 
for  three  months,  or  perhaps  four,  before  we  could  be 
allowed  to  draw  cash,  and  in  all  that  time  perhaps, 
could  not  set  foot  on  shore.  The  next  thing  in 

order  was  to  rig  our  hammocks. 

We  were  supplied  with  the  necessary  ropes  and 
rings,  but  were  left  to  ourselves  to  put  them  together. 


37 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

Tom  and  I were  more  fortunate  than  the  others,  having 
Phil  to  show  us  how  it  was  done,  he  having  learned 
the  “modus  operand!”  in  the  two  days  he  had  been  on 
board.  With  the  help  of  some  good-natured  “vets,” 
the  other  recruits  were  instructed  in  the  mysteries  of 
knotting  and  reeving  the  ropes  through  the  rings  and 
hammocks,  and  in  lashing  them  up,  preparatory  to  put- 
ting them  in  the  netting,  and  in  a short  time  our  work 
was  done.  My  hammock  number  was  42,  my  bag 
number  90.  We  were  then  put  in  charge  again  of  the 
master  of  arms,  who  showed  us  where  to  stow  our 
bags  and  hammocks.  He  also  instructed  us  how  to 
find  them  when  the  hammocks  were  piped  down  in  the 
evening.  We  were  next  informed  that  we  could  go 
down  on  the  deck  and  make  ourselves  at  home,  and 
when  we  were  wanted  we  should  be  either  called  by 
name  or  be  mustered  with  the  whole  ship’s  company. 

So  we  distributed  ourselves  about  the  decks,  Tom, 
Phil  and  myself  keeping  together.  Phil  had  “learned 
the  ropes,”  so  he  showed  us  the  principal  points  of  in- 

I 

jterest  aboard  ship.  We  took  a stroll  upon  the  berth 
deck,  and  he  pointed  out  the  hooks  on  the  deck 
rafters,  where  the  hammocks  were  swung  at  night. 
The  boatswain’s  shrill  whistle  was  heard  at  intervals, 
and  all  loud  talking  was  hushed  while  we  listened  to 
his  orders.  Just  before  we  were  piped  down  to  supper, 
the  whole  ship’s  company  was  summoned  by  the  boat- 


38 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


swain’s  call  to  “muster  aft  on  the  quarter  deck.” 
Immediately,  there  was  a rush  and  a trampling  of  feet 
as  the  crew  thronged  aft  and  fell  in  lines  of  three 
or  four  deep.  As  soon  as  the  men  were  all  in  their 
places  and  quiet  reigned,  the  executive  officer.  Lieu- 
tenant   , said  : “There  is  to  be  a draft  made 

from  this  ship  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  ; now  as 
fast  as  your  names  are  called,  you  will  step  out  of  the 
line  and  fall  in  outside  of  the  fife-rail  upon  the  spar 
deck,  and  there  await  further  orders.”  As  he  began  to 
call  the  names,  I listened  eagerly  for  mine,  but  I was 
not  down  on  the  list,  and  neither  was  Tom.  But  Phil 
was  unfortunate — I say  unfortunate,  because  we  had 
hoped  to  go  together — to  have  his  name  called  to  make 
one  of  the  draft.  After  the  men  whose  names  had 
been  called  had  fallen  in  outside  the  fife-rail,  the  lieu- 
tenant addressed  them  as  follows  : “My  men,’ you  are 
drafted  for  the  mortar  fleet,  some  of  which  vessels  are 
now  on  the  Potomac  River,  where  you  will  join 
them  in  a few  days.  You  will  be  required  now 
to  do  your  duty  faithfully  and  fearlessly,  and  all 
will  be  well  with  you.  You  must  have  your  bags 
and  hammocks  ready  immediately  after  breakfast  to- 
morrow morning,  and  then  await  the  boatswain’s  mate’s 
call.  That  is  all ; the  line  is  dismissed  and  you  can  go 
forward.” 

The  men  on  the  quarter  deck  were  also  dismissed. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  39 

and  Tom  and  I went  forward  to  find  Phil.  It  took 
some  time  to  hunt  him  up  among  so  many,  but  at  last 
we  found  him.  He  was  engaged  in  the  same  task  as 
ourselves  ; he  was  hunting  for  us. 

As  the  sun  sank  to  rest  in  the  western  horizon,  the 

I 

sunset  gun  on  the  forecastle  deck,  with  a sullen  roar,^ 
sent  forth  the  tidings,  and  in  a moment  more  the  shrill 
whistle  piped,  and  the  order  “Down  all  hammocks/^ 
was  borne  to  us  from  the  powerful  lungs  of  the  boat- 
swain’s mate.  In  a twinkling  the  deck  was  thronged  ' 
with  the  hurrying  crew,  each  man  contesting  with  his 
fellows  and  eagerly  intent  upon  getting  his  hammock 
first.  When  Tom  and  I arrived  at  the  hammock  netting, 
we  found  the  cloth  thrown  off,  and  two  men  inside  the 
box  busily  engaged  in  throwing  them  out  upon  the  deck. 
As  fast  as  each  man  secured  his  number,  he  grabbed  his 

I .. 

hammock  and  rushing  down  upon  the  spar  deck,  disap- 
peared through  the  hatchway  on  to  the  berth  deck,  each 
being  eager  to  get  his  hammock  swung  in  its  place  first. 
We  had  no  trouble  in  finding  our  numbers,  Tom  and  I, 

and  seizing  our  hammocks  we  followed  in  the  footsteps 

/ 

of  the  others  of  the  crew,  and  soon  were  upon  the 
berth  deck  with  them,  anxiously  seeking  for  a “hook 
to  let.”  I was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a good  swing- 
ing place  through  the  kindness  of  a good  natured  sea- 
man who  made  the  remark,  “You  look  like  as  though  we 
- 4 


40 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


could  agree  ; just  slip  your  ring  over  this  ’ere  hook,  my 
lad.”  In  a moment  more  I had  slung  my  hammock, 
unlashed  it,  and  stowed  away  my  hammock  rope  under 
my  blankets  at  the  head,  my  new  friend  giving  me  nil 
the  necessary  instruction.  Phil  and  Tom  swung  theirs 
just  below  mine,  there  being  some  vacant  hooks  there, 
Phil  giving  up  his  place  of  the  two  previous  nights,  for 
the  sake  of  being  near  Tom  and  me,  thereby  making  us 
close  communists.  After  seeing  that  our  hammocks 
were  ship-shape  and  in  readiness  for  us  to  turn  into,  we 
hastened  up  upon  the  spar  deck,  to  witness  a little  of 
life  aboard  ship  in  the  twilight.  There  was  no  regular 
watch  set  on  the  shtp  by  the  seamen,  but  we  were 
guarded  all  round  on  ship  and  shore  by  marines.  Lock- 
ing arms  with  Tom,  while  Phil  brought  up  the  rear,  we 
promenaded  the  deck  fore  and  aft  talking  of  our  future 
prospects,  and  at  times  bandying  words  with  some  ship- 
mate who,  in  a spirit  of  fun,  had  jostled  us  in  passing. 
I noticed  quite  a number  reading  by  the  dim  light  of 
the  ship’s  lanterns ; others  were  drawn  together  in  lit- 
tle knots  of  twenty  or  more,  listening  while  some  old 
^‘vet”  regaled  their  ears  with  tales  of  adventure  on  sea 
and  shore.  Becoming  tired,  we  sat  down  beside  a 
group,  in  the  center  of  which,  sat  a man  about  thirty 
years  of  age. 

“Gome  Bill,  give  us  a song;  ye  will  have  just  time 
enough  before  taps,”  said  a robust  fine-looking  jack-tar 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


41 


near  the  center  of  the  group,  ‘‘and  I say  Bill,  let’s  have 
‘Black-eyed  Susan.’  ” 

“Yes,  yes,  ‘Black-eyed  Susan,’  ” clamored  the  crowd. 

“Go  in.  Bill,”  “Inflate  your  bellows,”  and  the  like 

remarks  followed  each  other  from  the  hilarious  sailors 

• 

gathered  round.  ^ 

“Well,  well,”  exclaimed  the  man  called  Bill,  “just 
clap  a stopper  on  your  jaw  tackle,  will  ye,  long  enough 
for  me  to  get  the  pints  of  the  compass,  my  hearties,  then 
I’ll  heave  ahead.” 

After  clearing  his  throat  he  proceeded  to  render,  in  a 
clear  and  modulated  tone,  the  song  called  for,  and  dur- 
ing its  rendition  silence  fell  upon  all.  At  its  comple- 
tion, a storm  of  applause  greeted  the  singer,  well  cal- 
culated to  make  him  feel  proud  of  his  efforts  to  please. 

Resuming  our  walk  for  a short  time,  we  at  length 
concluded  to  turn  in,  so  seeking  our  hammocks,  we 
disrobed,  and  bidding  each  other  good  night,  pulled  the 
blankets  around  us  just  as  the  drum  commenced  to  beat 
“taps,”  nine  o’clock. 

I lay  in  a dreamy  doze  in  my  hammock,  thinking  of 
the  events  of  the  day,  and  wondering  what  they,  at 
home,  were  all  doing.  The  gruffhail  of  the  marines  could 
be  heard  at  intervals  as  they  stopped  in  their  rounds, 
crying  the  hour,  and  “All’s  well,  all’s  well,’’  and  in  lis- 
tening to  their  long  drawn  out  hail,  I fell  asleep  and  did 
not  awaken  until  the  gun  fired  at  sunrise  next  morning. 


42 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


right  over  my  head,  on  the  deck  above.  In  another 
moment  the  boatswain’s  whistle  was  sounded,  and  the 
order  followed:  ‘‘Up  all  hammocks.”  I rolled  out  of 
mine  to  witness  a busy  scene.  All  around  me  were 
men  and  boys  engaged  in  dressing,  lashing  their  ham- 
mocks, etc.  Speedily  dressing  myself  I lashed  up  mine 
as  I had  been  taught,  and  following  my  ship-mates, 
deposited  if  in  the  netting  with  the  others. 

After  the  decks  had  been  washed  down,  and  we  had 
eaten  our  breakfast  of  coffee  and  hard  tack,  the  draft 
called  for  on  the  previous  day,  were  mustered  aft  with 
their  bags  and  hammocks,  containing  all  their  effects. 
I only  had  just  time  to  speak  a word  to  Phil,  as  he 
hurried  past,  with  his  bag  under  one  arm  and  his  ham- 
mock under  the  other,  and  wishing  him  bon  voyage, 

' reached  out  my  hand.  Phil  dropped  his  bag,  clasped 
my  outstretched  hand  in  his  own,  gave  it  a hearty 
wring,  then  picked  up  his  bag,  walked  away  and  was 
soon  lost  in  the  crowd. 

I turned  to  look  for  Tom,  whom  I soon  found,  and 
together  we  went  into  the  “main  chains,”  to  watch  the 
little  steam  tug  fast  disappearing  in  the  distance,  and 
taking  Phil  from  us.  As  the  boat  disappeared  among 
the  shipping,  in  the  harbor,  Tom  said 

“Steve,  it  makes  me  feel  lonesome  to  see  that  boat 
bearing  Phil  off ; the  Lord  only  knows  where  ; I do 


43 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

( 

hope  that  you  and  I will  be  left  together  on  the  same 
ship.” 

“So  do  I,  Tom,  and  it  causes  me  to  feel  a kind  of — I 
don’t  know  as  one  could  call  it  home-sickness — but  it 
comes  so  nigh  it  that  there  isn’t  any  fun  in  it.  You  see 
now,  if  we  had  waited  and  enlisted  together,  Monday 
instead  of  Saturday,  perhaps  it  would  have  been  differ- 
ent, and  Phil  would  have  stood  a better  opportunity  to 
go  on  the  same  ship  with  us.” 

“I  don’t  know  about  that,”  said  Tom,  “perhaps  we 

I 

would  have  been  separated  some  other  way.” 

As  we  sat  in  the  chains,  Tom  read  a daily  newspaper  - 
that  he  found  lying  on  the  deck,  while  I looked  out  on 

the  wide  waste  of  waters  and  watched  the  ships  come 

/ 

and  go,  my  thoughts  straying  over  the  forty-two  miles 
of  space  between  me  and  my  beloved  home.  O,  how 
I wished  that  I could  look  in  upon  them  if  only  for  a 
moment,  to  let  them  know  we  were  so  well  cared  for 
and  to  kiss  darling  little  Lizzie  once  more.  Lizzie  was 
the  youngest  of  the  family,  a tender,  delicate  child, 
who  for  many  years  had  not  been  able  to  walk  without 
the  aid  of  crutches.  Dear  little  Lizzie ! her  form 
seemed  to  rise  up  before  me  as  I mused,  and  I remem- 
bered the  morning  I left  home,  when  she  came  pain- 
fully down  to  the  front  gate  to  see  me  off,  and  gave 
me  a last  parting  kiss,  saying,  “Be  a good  boy,  and 
write  home  often,”  which  I promised  to  do  ; then  giving 


44 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


me  another  kiss  for  Phil,  she  covered  her  face  in  her 

I 

apron  while  I hurried  down  the  street.  We,  Phil  and 
I,  never  saw  her  again.  She  passed  away  during  our 
absence,  and  I have  no  doubt  she  has  joined  the  angel 
band,  and  that  her  voice  mingles  with  others  in  sing- 
ing God’s  praise.  ^ 

My  reverie  was  soon  dispelled  by  the  boatswain’s 
whistle  calling  the  crew  to  muster.  Tom  threw  down 
his  paper,  and  clambered  in  through  the  port-hole  upon 
the  spar  deck,  while  I speedily  followed  in  his  wake, 
and  we  joined  in  the  general  rush  towards  the  quarter 
^ deck.  After  all  had  become  silent,  six  hundred  men 
were  called  off  and  the  remainder  dismissed.  Tom  and 
I were  included  in  the  six  hundred  drafted,  and  we  were 
all  ordered  to  get  our  bags  and  hammocks  from  the 
netting  and  fall  in  again  on  the  quarter  deck.  You 
better  believe  there  was  a rush  made  by  the  ‘^six  hun- 
dred,” excluding  Tom  and  me,  for  we  could  get  our 
effects  just  as  quickly  after  a few  hundred  had  been 
served,  and  have  time  enough  to  spare,  thus  avoiding 
getting  trod  upon  in  the  tumult.  Such  a tumbling, 
rushing  heap  of  humanity  has  never  been  my  fortune 
to  witness  since,  pushing  and  clawing  at  each  other,  all 
being  determined  to  be  served  first,  yet,  there  was  a 
pleasant  feeling  manifested  withal,  and  many  were  the 
jokes  cracked  at  the  expense  of  the  men,  when  they 
grabbed  fheir  bags  and  hammocks  as  their  numbers 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF.  A,  SAILOR  BOY. 


45 


turned  up  to  view.  After  securing  our  hammocks,  a 
second  rush  was  made  for  the  bag-room,  and  there  the 
same  scene  was  enacted  as  at  the  netting.  In  a very 
short  time  our  bags  and  hammocks  were  laid  by  us  in 
a pile,  one  upon  another  on  the  deck,  and  we  were  then 
ordered  over  the  side  into  the  scow,  in  details  of  fifty  or 
more,  and  transported  to  the  dock,  where  omnibuses, 
hacks,  furniture,  and  express  wagons  were  brought  into 
requisition  to  convey  us  to  the  Old  Colony  Depot. 
After  all  had  been  seated  aboard  the  vehicles,  the  pro- 
cession moved  off,  amid  cheers  from  the  sailors  on  board 
the  Guardo.  To  depict  the  scenes  that  followed  on 
our  way  to  the  depot,  would  be  simply  impossible. 
Some  of  the  vets,  despite  the  efforts  of  the  marines  to 
prevent  them,  leaped  from  the  carriages,  and  when  they 

if 

reached  the  vehicles  arain,  their  arms  would  be  loaded 
with  bundles  of  every  description.  The  officers  and 
marines  tried  hard  to  keep  the  men  under  control  but 
were  only  partially  successful.  Arriving  at  the  depot 
we  were  immediately  marched  on  board  the  cars,  and  a 
guard  of  marines  stationed  at  each  door. 

An  almost  indescribable  scene  followed  our  entrance 
into  the  cars.  Cakes,  pies,  doughnuts  and  white  bread, 
procured  on  shore,  were  thrown  at  each  other — being  first 
wet  in  water  and  made  into  balls — until  the  inside  of 
the  cars  presented  a sorry  plight.  At  length  order 


46 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


was  restored,  and  the  train*  moved  slowly  out  of  the 
depot  amid  the  hoots  and  cheers  of  the  multitude 

I 

gathered  outside. 

We  were  greeted  with  cheers  whenever  the  train  was 
forced  to  stop  at  a station,  and  were  also  treated  to 
many  dainties,  bought  at  the  lunch  stands  in  the  depots 
by  the  citizens.  We  arrived  in  Providence  in  due 
time,  where  we  were  forced  to  wait  half  an  hour  for 
another  train  due  from  the  opposite  direction.  We 
amused  ourselves  at  cracking  jokes  with  the  crowd 
assembled  outside,  and  in  fruitless  endeavors  to  pass 
our  guards.  I did  not  expect  so  spon  to  see  my  native 
city  again,  and  would  have  given  anything,  almost,  to 
have  stepped  my  foot  on  the  platform  in  the  depot. 
After  what  seemed  to  me  an  endless  period  of  time, 

(M 

we  were  under  way  again.  Upon  our  arrival  in  New 
York,  we  were  divided  up.  Three  hundred  of  the 
party  were  ordered  to  the  “North  Carolina”  receiving 
ship,  in  Brooklyn  navy  yard.  Tom  and  I were  counted 
in  with  that  party.  The  other  three  hundred  were 
sent  to  the  receiving  ship  “Alleghany,”  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland. 

We  were  marched  to  the  nearest  pier  from  the  depot, 
where  we  found  a tug  boat  in  readiness  to  convey  us 
to  the  Guardo.  Our  bags  and  hammocks  were  first 
put  on  board  and  piled  athwart  ship,  and  then  we 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


47 


occupied  all  the  remaining  standing  room  on  the  deck. 
We  were  literally  packed,  and  when  all  had  come  on 
board  it  was  impossible  to  stir  a foot  either  one  way  or 
the  other.  The  moment  the  last  man  had  come  on 
board,  the  hawser  was  cast  loose  from  the  pier  and  we 
steamed  down  the  river  towards  our  destination. 

From  every  ship  we  passed,  as  well  as  from  the 

shore,  we  were  greeted  with  the  cries  : “Look  out, 

boys,  she’ll  dump  ye,”  “Stand  still,  boys,  she’ll  dump 

ye and  it  was  rather  ticklish  on  board.  The  least 

movement  on  our  part  to"^ither  port  or  starboard  side, 

caused  the  little  tug  to  dip,  and  only  for  our  being 

wedged  in,  she  surely  would  have  dumped  some  of 

us  overboard.  Our  safety  lay  in  being  stowed  so  closely. 

, » 

Every  steamer  and  ferry  boat  that  crossed  our  path,  or 

passed  us,  left  a wake  behind,  in  which  our  little  boat 
wallowed,  and  the  waves  made  by  the  paddles  of  the 
different  steamers  came  in  over  the  gunwales  and  wet 
our  feet.  I was  not  sorry  when  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  “North  Carolina,”  for  I really  feared  a ducking,  or 
the  loss  of  some  of  our  effects  from  the  constant 
dipping  of  our  vessel.  As  we  rapidly  approached  the 
floating  rendezvous,  crowds  of  men  could  be  seen  pass- 
ing and  repassing  the  open  port-holes,  and  as  our  boat 
touched  the  ship,  I looked  up  her  lofty  side  and  arrived 
at  the  conclusion,  that  we  were  not  going  to  better  our. 


48 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


condition,  but  only  to  jump  out  of  the  frying  pan 
into  the  fire.  A few  more  moments,  and  we  stood 
upon  the  quarter  deck  of  the  Guardo  in  line,  while 
our  bags  and  hammocks  quickly  followed  us,  and  the 
tug  steamed  off  up  the  river. 


4 


GRAPTCR  111. 


— 

THE  RECEIVING  SHIPS. 

BURING  the  Rebellion,  the  government  maintained 
three  receiving  ships,  commonly  called  Guardos 
by  the  sailors ; one  at  the  Charlestown  navy  yard,  the 
“Ohio”  ; one  at  the  Brooklyn  navy  yard,  the  old  “North 
Carolina”  ; and  a third  in  Baltimore,  the  “Alleghany.” 
All  these  were  line  of  battle  ships,  four  deckers, 
and  capable  of  receiving  a thousand  or  more  men. 
The  first,  or  upper  deck  is  called  the  spar  deck ; the 
next  the  gun  deck ; below  that  the  berth  deck,  and 
below  all  the  orlop  deck.  On  this  deck  all  prisoners, 
deserters,  and  refractory  men  were  confined.  They 
were  locked  up  in  a large,  dark  compartment,  com- 
monly called  the  “brig.”  There  they  were  kept  until  a 
ship  was  found  going  directly  to  sea,  or  a draft  was 
made  for  the  Charlestown  blockading  squadron,  when 
they  would  be  sent  off,  without  giving  them  a chance  to 
set  their  feet  on  land.  The  Carolina,  when  we  arrived 
on  board,  had  about  seven  hundred  men,  which  before 
we  left  were  increased  to  thirteen  hundred.  We  were 
immediately  mustered  aft  on  the  quarter  deck,  (how 
tired  I had  become  of  being  mustered  aft  on  the  quar- 


50  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

« 

V 

ter  deck,  no  one  can  tell,)  and  forced  to  listen  to  a 
long  harangue  by  the  captain,  in  which  he  told  us  he 
had  heard  all  about  our  conduct  while  being  transferred 
through  the  streets  of  Boston,  from  the  recruiting  ship 
to  the  depot.  He  made  it  very  much  worse  than  it 
really  was,  and  did  not  seem  to  consider  that  our  party 
had  been  confined  on  bog.rd  ship  so  long  that  they  were 
like  young  colts  in  a pasture,  that  cannot  be  restrained 
, till  they  have  had  their  run  out.  He  gave  us  the  pleasant 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  would  take  some  of  the 
life  out  of  us  before  we  left  the  ‘‘Carolina.”  He  expected 
obedience,  and  men  who  were  sent  aboard  his  ship  must 
work.  “We  don’t  want  any  shirks,”  he  said,  “and  do 
not  intend  to  have  any.”  At  last  he  became  tired,  or 
was  at  a loss  for  something  else  to  say  fitting  to  the 
occasion.  However,  he  ordered  us  below,  and  the 
drill  master  took  us  in  charge  and  acquainted  us  with 
our  duties,  which  were  numerous,  you  may  be  sure. 
The  next  morning,  after  the  decks  had  been  washed 
down,  some  of  the  new  recruits  were  sent  down  to  white- 
wash the  roof  of  the  lower  deck.  I did  not  go,  and 
was  secretly  congratulating  myself  upon  the  very  easy 
manner  in  which  I had  escaped  that  work,  when  who 
should  come  along  but  “Paddy  D’yle,”  the  drill  master. 
He  handed  me  a swab,  and  said  I could  busy  myself  in 
drying  up  the  berth  deck,  as  it  had  just  been  washed 
down.  Well,  I was  in  for  it ; but  I took  the  swab  in 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


51 


my  hand  and  went  down  to  the  berth  deck  to  work. 
I was  using  the  old  swab  in  rather  a gingerly  way, 
when  it  was  suddenly  jerked  from  my  hand  by  some 
one  behind  me.  I looked  around  and  was  confronted  by 
Paddy  D’yle. 

“Well,  now,”  he  said,  “is  that  the  way  ye  were  larnt 
to  swab  a deck  ? Arrah  ! bad  ’cess  to  ye  for  a lazy  lub- 
ber ! Look  ye  here  now,  it’s  meself  will  show  yez 
how  it’s  done,”  and  he  proceeded  to  give  me  a practical 
illustration  of  the  way  it  should  be  done,  by  thrashing 
the  old  swab  here  and  there  about  the  deck,  like  a man 
trying  to  put  out  a bush  fire.  I liked  his  style  of  hand- 
ling the  swab  very  much,  though  Idid  not  make  it  man- 
ifest to  him ; I secretly  hoped  that  he  would  kee|) 
it  up  till  the  deck  was  dry ; but  ^ he  had  no  inten- 
tion of  so  doing,  however,  for  throwing  the  swab 
at  my  feet,  he  told  me  to  finish  the  work.  I should 
have  laughed,  if  I had  dared,  he  looked  so  comical.  I 
swabbed  away  right  and  left  lively  enough  while  he  was 
standing  over  me,  and  would  have  liked  to  have  drawn 
' the  wet  swab  over  his  pumps  that  he  had  blacked 
so  nicely  that  morning.  Eventually,  he  left  me  to  look 
after  other  things  in  a different  part  of  the  ship,  and  as 
soon  as  he  had  disappeared  up  the  companion-way,  I 
watched  mj^  opportunity,  and  the  first  landsman  that 
came  my  way,  I put  the  swab  in  his  hands,  telling  him 
to  hurry  up  and  get  the  deck  dry,  and  before  he  could 


52  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  EOT. 

I 

recover  from  his  astonishment,  I was  on  the  spar  deck, 
mixing  with  the  crowd,  where  even  Paddy  D’yle  could 
not  find  me  unless  he  mustered  the  whole  ship’s  com- 
pany. The  men  in  the  ^ ‘North  Carolina”  comprised  able 
seamen,  ordinary  seamen,  firemen,  coal-heavers,  lands- 
men and  “greenhorns,”  who  had  never  been  to  sea, 
some  of  whom  never  having  seen  salt  water  ^before. 

When  all  hammocks  were  piped  down  at  night  then 
came  the  fun.  The  old  vets  would  have  their  ham- 
mocks swung  in  a jiffy  and  then  circulate  about  the  deck 
to  watch  Greeny  put  up  his  little  bed.  The  hanging 
part  comes  easy  enough,  but  getting  in,  is  quite  differ- 
ent, unless  one  has  had  experience.  Greeny  watches 
the  old  vet  and  it  looks  easy  enough.  “Pooh  ! what’s 
the  use  of  making  such  a fuss  about  it,”  exclaims  some 
one,  almost  in  his  hammock.  At  last  Greeny  opens 
his  hammock,  takes  a jump  upwards  and  lights  upon  it, 
but  only  to  roll  oflf  on  the  other  side  and  fall  sprawling 
on  the  deck.  A derisive  laugh  greets  the  mishap  from 
those  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  He  approaches  the 
hammock  again  as  if  it  was  a kicking  horse,  and  tries 
a second  time.  He  sits  down  on  the  edge  of  it,  the 
hammock  tilts  and  he  is  again  thrown  to  the  deck,  this 
time,  face  downwards.  Finally  some  good-natured 
vet  shows  him  how  it  is  done,  and  the  would-be  sailor 
turns  in  to  sleep.  But  he  little  knows  what  awaits 
him.  He  is  just  dosing  off  comfortably,  when  he  comes 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


53 


down  by  the  run,  and  is  landed  on  the  deck ; some  one 
has  cut  his  hammock  lashing,  and  it  is  lucky  for  him 
that  it  was  not  cut  at  the  head,  but  at  the  foot  of 
the  hammock.  I have  known  serious  accidents  to  hap- 
pen from  this  dangerous  game.  Some  one,  in  a stage 
whisper,  intimates  that  Paddy  D’yle  is  about,  and  in 
an  instant  all  is  quiet,  every  man  is  in  his  hammock 
and  evidently  fast  asleep.  Pretty  soon  we  hear  a 
stealthy  tread  under  us ; and  some  one,  ’way  forward 
sings  out,  ^ ‘Paddy  D’yle.”  Paddy  makes  a rush  in  the 
direction  from  whence  comes  the  sound,  but  all  is  quiet, 
some  of  the  men  are  even  snoring.  From  away  aft, 
comes  the  cry,  “Paddy  D’yle, ” and  out  of  all  patience, 
he  makes  a rush  in  that  direction,  and  seizing  some 
innocent  wight^  pulls  him  out  of  his  hammock,  makes 
the  shivering  wretch  put  on  his  clothes,  then  marches 
him  away  in  charge  of  a marine  toward  the  “brig,”  on 
the  orlop  deck.  Such  scenes  were  enacted  every  night 
while  I was  on  board  the  Guardo.  I have  known  men 
to  be  marched  away  under  guard  and  locked  up,  to 
come  back  a few  minutes  afterwards  all  serene,  and  be 
allowed  to  turn  into  his  hammock  again.  Why,  do 
you  ask?  Because  he  happened  to  be  one  of  the  New 
York  recruits  enlisted  in  Brooklyn,  and  notone  of  the 
Boston  draft. 

Throwing  shoes  at  Paddy,  when  it  was  known  that  he 
was  sneaking  under  our  hammocks,  was  almost  a night- 


54 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


ly  occurrence,  until  he  got  it  into  his  thick  head,  that  it 
would  be  a fine  joke  to  gather  up  the  shoes,  and  lay  for 
the  culprit  in  the  early  morning,  when  the  hammocks 
were  called  up,  and  the  men  would  have  to  pass  before 
him  in  line,  shoeless.  Acting  upon  this  suggestion  of 
others — I never  thought  it  originated  in  his  brain — he 
descended  one  night  to  the  berth  deck,  and  making  his 
presence  known,  it  was  not  long  before  the  shoes  and 
other  missiles  began  to  fiy  around  him  in  a lively  man- 
ner. What  did  he  do  but  quietly  pick  up  a half- 
dozen  pairs  and  silently  disappear  up  the  hatch-way. 
After  he  had  gone,  the  boys  jumped  out  of  their  ham- 
mocks and  began  an  eager  search  for  their  shoes,  some 
were  lucky  enough  to  find  them,  while  others  not  find- 
ing theirs  readily,  by  the  dim  light  of  the  lanterns  on 
the  berth  deck,  postponed  the  search  till  daylight.*  In 
answer  to  the  call  of  the  boatswain’s  whistle,  the  next 
morning,  the  crew  sprang  from  their  warm  nests,  dress- 
ed and  proceeded  to  the  netting  with  their  hammocks. 
The  only  laggards  were  those,  who  unfortunately  could  ' 
not  find  shoes  for  their  feet.  They  had  searched  the 
berth  deck  in  vain  and  at  last  despairingly  made  their 
way  to  the  deck  shoeless.  In  the  meantime  we  had  be- 
gun to  smell  a large  “mouse”  from  the  fact,  that  not  only 
had  the  men’s  and  boys’  shoes  disappeared,  but  Paddy 
was  watching  every  man  that  passed  him  with  an  ugly 
look  on  his  features,  a look  that  boded  harm  to  some 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


55 


* one  or  more  of  us.  Quite  a number  had  dropped 
to  the  little  game  Paddy  D’yle  had  played  with  every 
appearance  of  success,  so  we  tried  to  devise  some  way 
whereby  we  could  help  the  boys  out  of  the  scrape,  but 
there  was  no  way,  unless  we  lent  them  our  shoes, 
which  we  could  readily  have  done,  but  only  at  the  ex- 
pense of  placing  ourselves  in  the  same  predicament.  So 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  a bad  job  any 
way,  and  the  only  thing  remaining  for  the  »boys  to  do 
was  to  face  the  music. 

As  hurried  to  get  back  on  the  spar  deck  I met  Tom 
coming  down.  In  a few  words  I told  him  of  the  fix 
the  boys  were  in,  and -asked  him  to  come  with  me  and 
see  the  sport.  We  made  our  way  straight  to  where 
Paddy  had  stationed  himself,  and  saw  three  of  tfie  boys 
under  guard  of  the  marines.  They  looked  chop-fallen 
enough.  A marine  stood  at  the  hatchway  and  forced 
the  boys  to  pass  Paddy  in  single  file,  giving  him  an 
opportunity  to  make  a close  inspection.  Presently, 
while  we  were  near,  he  reached  out  his  hand  and 
grabbed  another  man.  He  had  four  now,  but  looked 
in  vain  for  others  to  come.  The  end  of  the  line,  and  - 
the  last  man  had  passed,  but  all  wore  shoes.  Paddy 
had  to  be  satisfied  with  the  four  caught  and  forthwith 
marched  them  to  the  brig.  I found  out  in  the  course 

of  the  day  how  the  rest  escaped  punishment.  Some  of 
5 


56 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


the  men  had  two  pairs  of  shoes  in  their  hammocks 
laid  by  for  extra  occasions.  With  the  poorest  of  these 
they  supplied  the  ’others’  wants,  who  in  this  way 
escaped  being  caught  in  the  trap  laid  for  them  by 
Paddy  D’yle.  How  many  were  thus  supplied  I never 
knew,  but  there  were  quite  a number.  The  ship’s  boys 
were  the  pests  of  the  Guardo.  They  were  up  to  all 
kinds  of  mischief,  backed  up  by  the  old  vets.  A ship’s 
iboy  would  stand  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  leading  to 
the  spar  deck,  and  when  a landsman  attempted  to  pass 
up  the  hatchway,  and  his  breeches  were  drawn  to  their 
full  tension,  he  would  give  the  luckless  wight  a rope’s 
end  upon  the  posterior.  Great  Scott ! how  it  did 
smart ! The  first  thing  Greeny  did  was  to  clap  both 
hands  behind  his  back,  probably  to  ascertain  if  he  had 
lost  anything,  then,  writhing  in  pain,  he  glared  around 
in  search  of  the  offender,  whom,  in  the  meanwhile,  had 
been  hustled  out  of  the  way  by  the  crowd  of  sailors, 
who  were  always  about  at  such  times  to  take  part  in 
the  fun.  Yes  ! Jolly  fun  for  the  observers,  but  some- 
thing quite  different  for  the  landsman  who  was  unfortu-  j 
Rate  enough  to  be  caught.  Note  how  carefully  that 
landsman  sits  at  the  mess  table ; it  almost  appears  as 
if  he  had  one  of  Job’s  comforters  ! When  he  ascends  the 
ladder  to  the  spar  deck,  he  looks  carefully  around  to  see 
if  any  of  the  ship’s  boys  are  about.  One  dose  is 
enough  ; he  is  not  caught  again. 


I 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  57 

Some  of  the  men  were  in  a state  of  unclean! iji ess. 
We  were  all  dirty  enough,  but  most  of  us  did  try  to 
keep  clean  whenever  an  opportunity  presented  itself, 
and  that  was  very  seldom.  Others  were  entirely 
regardless  of  their  personal  appearance.  But  where 

t 

there  were  so  many  recruits  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
keep  entirely  clean.  Just  imagine  for  a moment, 
thirteen  hundred  men  confined  on  board  ship,  with  but 
very  few  washing  days — only  Wednesdays  were  set 
apart  for  washing  purposes.  To  keep  from  being  over- 
run by  vermin,  we  had  to  make  a diligent  examination 
of  our  clothes  at  every  opportunity.  What  I am  about 
to  relate  may  sound  a little  exaggerated,  perhaps,  but 
it  is  nevertheless  true.  One  of  the  sailors  had  trained  a 
cockroach.  The  idea  of  training  such  a thing  ! Ugh  ! 
It  makes  me  shudder  even  now  to  think  of  them.  The 
cockroach  was  so  well  trained  that  it  seemed  to  know 
the  man’s  voice,  and  would  come  out  from  behind  the 
mess  chest,  where  it  made  its  home,  at  the  call  of  its 
master,  would  eat  from  his  hand,  and  even  follow 
him  a little  about  the  deck.  It  disappeared,  how- 
ever, one  day,  and  neither  we  nor  his  master  ever 
saw  it  again,  nor  did  we  know  what  became  of  it, 
but  supposed  that  it  was  eaten  by  the  other  more 
numerous  vermin,  or  perhaps  was  crushed  to  death  by 
the  holy-stone  used  when  washing  the  deck.  In  any 


58 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


case  Jit  disappeared,  and  it  would  have  been  a blessing' 
if  the  rest  of  the  vermin  had  gone  with  it. 

The  decks  were  holy-stoned  three  times  a week,  and 
I will  now  describe  the  method  as  well  as  I can. 
Holy-stoning  the  deck  is  accomplished  by  attaching  a 
strong  rope  to  both  sides  of  a stone,  usually  a grind 
stone,  of  coarse  grit,  about  twelve  by  sixteen  inches, 
and  about  eight  inches  thick.  Five  or  six  men,  or  even 
more,  then  take  hold  of  the  rope  at  each  end,  and 
while  one  side  pulls,  the  other  slackens,  then  the 
opposite  side  pulls  while  the  others  slacken,  and  so  on. 
Canvas  and  sand  are  used  to  scrub  where  the  holy- 
stone cannot  be  used.  Small  hand  stones  are  also 
made  use  of  to  scrub  the  hatches  and  the  wood-work ; 
for  the  brass  work,  pumice  stone  is  used.  Every- 
thing is  made  clean  for  the  time  being,  and  of  course 
looks  finely.  But  thirteen  hundred  men  on  board  ship 
almost  preclude  the  possibility  of  keeping  things  clean 
for  any  great  length  of  time  ; there  is  a constant  move- 
ment among  the  men;  some  are  drilling  at  the  guns, 
some  reading,  some  sewing,  others  tying  or  learning  to  J 
tie  fancy  knots  ; gangs  working  at  swabbing  or  drying 
up  the  berth  and  gun  decks ; some  whitewashing  over- 
head, or  drying  up  the  orlop  deck  by  swinging  pans 
filled  with  charcoal  to  and  fro  close  to  the  deck. 
As  soon  as  one  place  becomes  dry  as  far  as  the  swing 
reaches,  the  men  take  up  other  places,  and  so  on 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


59 


till  the  whole  deck  is  dried.  Some  of  the  men  engage 
in  mending  their  clothes,  others  fill  up  the  tanks  with 
water  ; everything  is  in  motion.  In  the  afternoon  it  is 
quieter,  for,  with  the  exception  of  the  boatswain’s 
mate’s  shrill  piping,  and  his  hoarse  calls  ordering  the 
boats  away,  tricing  up  awnings,  coiling  ropes  away 
that  are  out  of  place,  and  his  calls  for  men  who  are 
drafted,  there  is  not  much  to  do  but  read  and  write, 
and,  well — search  your  clothes!  A ‘‘draft”  means 
that  a certain  number  of  men  have  been  chosen  from 
the  list  on  the  ship’s  books  to  make  up  the  complement 
of  some  vessel  in  want  of  men.  These  men  are  mus- 
tered at  quarters,  and  are  given  to  understand  that  they 
are  drafted  for  some  particular  ship,  or  gun-boat,  as 
the  case  may  be.  Preference  is  sometimes  given  to 
those  men  who  have  been  longest  on  board  the  Guardo. 
For  instance,  a gun-boat  or  ship  of  war  is  about  to  put 
to  sea.  After  the  crew  have  eaten  their  breakfast,  the 
boatswain  blows  his  whistle,  a signal  known  as  “piping,” 
and  calls  the  whole  ship’s  company  together.  Then, 
with  stentorian  lungs,  speaks  somewhat  in  this  wise  : 
“Do  you  hear?  All  you  men  drafted  for  the  ‘Canan- 
daigua’ lay  aft  in  the  quarter  deek  with  your  bags  and 
hammocks.” 

In  this  way,  it  went  on  day  after  day,  men  coming  and 
men  going  in  a never  ending  stream.  I have  known  a 
man’s  name  to  be  called  over  three  days  in  succession,  and 


60 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


then  only  be  found  by  mustering  the  whole  ship’s  crew. 
Grog  was  served  out  twice  a day,  in  the  morning  before 
breakfast,  and  again  at  night  before  piping  down  to 
supper.  When  the  boatswain  piped  for  grog  time,  the 
crew  fell  into  line  and  marched  in  single  file,  before  the 
ship’s  steward,  who  dealt  out  each  his  share  as  he  came 
up.  Each  man  leceived  one  gill  in  a small  round 
measure.  The  boys  often  tried  to  trick  the  steward  by 
falling  into  line  again  and  thereby  getting  a double 
ration,  but  they  were  not  always  successful  in  this,  for 
the  steward,  the  master-at-arms,  and  a marine  stood  by 
to  see  that  each  man  got  his  ration  and  that  no  man  was 
served  twice.  Those  who  did  not  drink  their  ration  of 
whiskey,  were  paid  its  value  in  cash,  at  the  end  of  their 
term  of  enlistment,  at  the  rate  of  ten  cents  a day.  I 
could  not  understand  why  grog  was  served  at  all  to  the 
men ; they  surely  did  not  need  it  on  board  the  Guardo, 
where  there  was  no  bone  labor  performed,  nor  fighting 
to  be  done  requiring  Dutch  courage,  but  it  was  custom, 
and  “custom  makes  law,”  hence  its  continuance.  I 
think  it  was  in  the  month  of  October,  1862,  that 
Congress  passed  a law  abolishing  grog  in  the  army  and 
navy,  thereby  saving  the  United  States  a ’great  many 
dollars  which  before  had  been  uselessly  expended. 

I well  remember  the  day  we  received  the  news  that 
grog  was  abolished.  I was  on  board  the  Guardo  at 
the  time.  Curses  not  so  loud,  but  deep,  were  indulged 


i 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


61 


in  by  the  old  tars,  some  of  whom,  had  seen  years  of 
service,  and  who,  by  custom,  had  become  so  habituated 
to  their  allowance  of  grog,  that  the  very  expectation  of 
it  was  accompanied  by  a feeling  of  pleasure.  It  was  a 
long  time  before  the  men  forgot  the  action  of  congress, 
and  in  fact,  thev  never  ceased  to  talk  about  it.  As  far 
as  they  were  concerned,  I really  felt  sorry  for  them, 
knowing  how  hard  it  must  have  been  to  them,  to  be  so 
suddenly  deprived  of  that  which  they  looked  forward  to 
with  as  much  certainty  as  anything  in  the  world.  I talked 
with  some  of  the  old  sailors  on  this  matter  afterwards. 

I 

They  said  it  was  impossible  not  to  think  of  it ; they  felt 
a ceaseless  longing  for  something,  as  if  they  had  for- 
gotten some  important  duty  of  the  day,  and  as  the  grog 
hour  drew  near,  the  longing  became  almost  irresistible, 
and  they  would  involuntarily  walk  to  the  place  where 
the  old  grog  tub  stood  for  their  long  accustomed  drink. 

Many  different  modes  of  punishment  were  resorted  to 
by  the  officers  on  the  Guardo,  for  those  who  would  not 
obey  orders.  One  mode  was  to  send  the  man  to  the 
mast  head  for  three  hours.  This  was  considered  a light 
punishment  by  the  majority.  Another  was  to  send  the 
men  up  the  ratlins  on  the  under  side,  in  board,  and 
cause  them  to  hang  there  for  two  hours.  In  under- 
going this  punishment,  there  was  a heavy  strain  on  the 
muscles  and  sinews  of  the  legs  and  arms,  the  effects  of 
which  could  be  felt  for  days  after — at  least,  so  I was  told 


62  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

by  some  of  those  who  had  suffered.  If  a man  was  caught 
in  the  act  of  spitting  upon  the  deck,  after  it  had  been 
washed  and  dried,  he  was  forced  to  carry  a spittoon 
about  the  deck  for  the  men  to  expectorate  into.  The 
spittoons  were  made  by  sawing  off  the  bottom  of  a keg, 
leaving  a portion  about  four  inches  deep ; the  size  of 
course  would  vary  according  to  the  size  of  the  keg 
sawn.  Three  holes  were  then  bored  near  the  top  on 
each  side,  opposite  each  other,  a lanyard  attached  long 
enough  to  go  around  the  man’s  neck,  and  with  the  tub 
carried  in  front  of  him  he  was  made  to  parade  the  deck 
fore  and  aft,  till  he  caught  some  other  unlucky  youth 
spitting  on  the  deck,  when  the  tub  would  be  transferred 
to  him.  The  boys,  it  seemed  to  me,  always  expectorated 
the  most  when  some  unfortunate  fellow  was  bearing 
about  the  offensive  tub. 

Wednesday  was  visiting  day  on  board,  and  friends, 
from  far  and  near,  came  to  see  husbands,  brothers, 
sons,  or  sweethearts,  as  the  case  might  be.  Tom 
and  I were  in  our  glory  on  visiting  days  watching  the 
people  come  and  go.  Old  and  young,  the  fair,  the  fat, 
and  the  forty,  came  in  over  the  port  side  into  the  quar- 
ter deck  and  after  friendly  greetings  with  their  relations 
took  a stroll  with  them  over  the  ship,  examining  the 
heavy  guns  and  other  points  of  interest.  Only  those 
who  came  to  see  friends  and  relatives  were  allowed  to 
come  on  board.  Many  of  the  crew  promenaded  the 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  63 

deck  with  fair  maidens  upon  their  arms,  while  others 

f 

would  climb  up  the  ratlins  to  show  their  parents j and 
sweethearts  how  agile  they  had  become  since  joining 
the  ship.  Still  others  would  form  little  groups  by  them- 
selves— as  far  as  they  were  able  to — on  the  quarter 
deck,  while  their  friends  unloaded  from  their  pockets 
the  goodies  they  had  brought  from  home ; and  amid  it 
all,  the  band  discoursed  sweet  music,  the  whole  pro- 
ducing a babel  of  sounds.  When  the  visitors  came 
over  the  side  they  were  requested  to  name  the  person 
they  desired  to  see,  then  the  boatswain  would  blow  his 
whistle,  as  a preliminary  that  something  or  somebody  was 
wanted.  This  being  done,  he  would  then  call  out  the 
name  of  the  man  sought.  Sometimes  it  would  happen 
that  two  boatswains  would  be  calling  out  the  names  of 
two  different  persons  at  the  same  time,  the  result  being 
no  little  confusion.  As  soon  as  the  persons  were  found 
they  would  march  forward,  greet  their  friends,  and  ! 

walk  away  with  them  ; the  boatswain  then  called  another  | 

i 

name,  and  so  on  till  three  o’clock,  when  the  visits  | 

ceased.  We  had  been  on  board  the  Guardo  about  a | 

week  when  it  became  my  duty  to  go  in  the  scow  and  1 

jj 

ferry  the  people  back  and  forth  to  and  from  the  ship. 

Upon  going  below,  I found  that  Tom  had  been  detailed 
for  the  same  purpose.  This  was  fun  for  a little  while, 

I \ 

but  we  soon  tired  of  it,  and  began  to  look  anxiously  | 

t 

for  our  release. 

4' 

. ^ i' 

/I 


I 


64 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


“Good  gracious  !”  exclaimed  Tom,  after  we  had  been 
working  hard  for  an  hour  ferrying  the  busy  throng  from 
shore  to  ship,  and  from  ship  to  dock-yard  again  ; “good 
gracious  ! I don’t  admire  this  job  ; do  you,  Steve?” 
“Well,”  I replied,  “I  have  seen  work  that  I liked  a 
great  deal  better  than  turning  this  old  crank.  But, 
then,”  I added,  “it  does  very  well  for  a change,  and  I 
don’t  know  of  anyone  that  needs  a change  more  than 
you  and  I do.” 

“Yes,  a change  of  clothing,  you  mean,  don’t  you?” 
Not  heeding  Tom’s  interruption  I continued,  “We 
get  rid  of  Paddy  D’yle’s  importunities  for  a little  while 
at  least.” 

“Yes,  there  is  some  comfort  in  that,”  said  Tom  ; 
“but  goodness  gracious,  Steve,  how  long  do  you  think 
they  are  going  to  keep  us  on  that  old  hulk,  anyway  ; 
for  my  part  I am  tired  of  the  sight  of  her.” 

“So  am  I,  Tom,  but  at  the  rate  they  are  sending 
recruits  off,  it  must  soon  come  our  turn  to  be  drafted 
on  board  a gun-boat  or  ship  destined  for  some  southern 
port.” 

This  desultory  conversation  we  carried  on  while  wait- 
ing for  the  visitors  at  the  dock-yard  or  at  the  Guardo. 
We  were  treated,  while  in  the  scow,  to  numerous  dainties 
by  the  lady  visitors,  for  which  we  thanked  them  heart- 
ily. They  were  a delightful  change  from  our  coarse 
fare  on  board. 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


65 


“Ugh,”  exclaimed  Tom,  it  don’t  seem  to  me,  after 
eating  all  these  nice  things,  that  I can  make  up  my  mind 
to  eat  any  more  fat  pork  and  salt  horse.” 

“But  nevertheless,  Tom,”  said  I,  “you  won’t  be  the 
last  at  the  table  when  the  boatswain  pipes  for  grub 
to-night.” 

“Why,  goodness  gracious,  what  are  you  going  to 
do?  A feller  has  got  to  fill  up  with  something.” 

“I  wish  you  would  drop  the  expression  ‘Goodness 
gracious  ;’  I am  tired  of  hearing  it  used,  and  the  fellows 
will  get  on  to  it  by  and  by,  and  possibly  you  won’t  hear 
the  last  of  it  while  we  remain  on  board  the  Guardo.” 

“Well,  good what  shall  I say?”  he  asked, 

looking  at  me  fiercely. 

“Say  d — m it,  and  have  done  with  it,”  said  the  ma- 
rine who  was  on  guard  with  us  in  the  scow. 

A general  laugh  followed  this  sally,  and  Tom  looked 
as  if  he  did  not  know  whether  to  get  mad  or  laugh  at 
the  joke,  but  good  counsel  prevailed,  and  at  length  he 
told  the  marine  that  if  he  was  caught  using  that  excla- 
mation again  to  give  him  a prod  with  his  bayonet.  “In 
any  case,”  he  added,  “I  shall  not  substitute  the  other 
expression.” 

^ » 

Our  two  hours’  detail  soon  slipped  away,  and  others 

being  appointed  to  take  our  places,  we  went  aboard. 

When  I first  went  on  board  the  “North  Carolina” 
Guardo  I was  very  particular  to  examine  my  food 


66 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


for  worms,  for  I assure  my  readers  that  there  were 
many  of  them.  Break  open  a hard-tack  and  per- 
haps two  or  three  would  lie  imbedded  in  the — well, 
cracker.  But  after  being  on  board  some  time  I could 
munch  them  equal  to  the  vets,  without  examining  the 
interior.  The  worms  were  similar  to  the  chestnut 
worms.  Some  of  my  readers,  perhaps,  have  possibly 
bitten  into  a seemingly  healthy  chestnut  at  some  period 
in  their  life,  and  have  noticed  a cloud  of  white  dust  rise 
from  the  interior,  and  at  the  same  time  a nice,  fat,  white 
worm  with  a black  head  has  fallen  at  their  feet ; yum, 
yum — well,  these  were  the  kind  that  we  found  in  our 
hard-tack. 

One  thing  I never  could  get  used  to,  and  that  was 

finding  cockroaches  in  my  coffee,  although  after  picking 

a few  out  of  my  tin  cup  I would  manage  to  worry  the 

liquid  down.  To  eat  with  our  hard  tack,  cheese  as 

% 

hard  as  flint  was  provided,  with  a skipper  now  and  then 
inside.  How  many  voyages  to#sea  that  hard-tack  and 
cheese  had  made  we  never  could  tell.  Our  salt  junk  we 
used  to  call  “old  horse.”  After  partaking  of  this  com- 
modity for  the  first  time,  I became  aware  why  the 
doctors  in  their  examination  of  us  paid  such  particular 
attention  to  our  molars,  for  without  good,  strong  jaws 
and  teeth  it  was  next  to  impossible  for  us  to  satisfy  our 
hunger  on  salt  junk  day.  Our  food  differed  from  day 
to  day.  There  was  duff  day,  when  flour  was  boiled  in 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


67 


bags,  and  usually  so  hard  that  it  could  be  thrown  across 
the  deck  without  breaking  it.  This  was  served  up  with 
molasses.  Then  we  had  pea  soup  day,  bean  day,  hard- 
tack and  cheese  day,  and  soup  day.  And  here  let  me 
say  that  the  soup  was  excellent ; plenty  of  vegetables 
were  put  in  to  make  it  palatable,  and  each  man  had 
enough  given  to  him. 

One  day,  the  ship’s  company  were  all  mustered, 
for  a draft  was  about  to  be  made,  and  when  in  a 
line,  thirty  men  were  called  off  from  the  ship’s 
books.  Tom’s  and  mine  were  among  that  num- 
ber. What  amazed  me  most  in  this  was  that  most  of 
the  men  were  Massachusetts  men.  What  could  it 
mean?  Had  they  become  tired  of  us  on  board,  or 
had  Paddy  D’yle  come  to  the  conclusion  that  we  could 
not  be  worked  up?  We  did  not  look  as  though  we 
had  been  worked  very  hard — most  of  us  were  rugged, 
good-looking  chaps.  After  being  ordered  to  be  in 
readiness  for  a call,  the  line  was  dismissed.  The  next 
day,  in  the  afternoon,  the  boatswain’s  whistle  sounded 
again,  and  then  from  his  mouth  came  the  words,  “Do 
you  hear?  All  you  men  drafted  for  the  gun-boat 
‘Louisiana’  lay  aft  on  the  quarter  deck  with  your  bags 
and  hammocks.”  My  mind  was  set  at  rest  on  hearing 
these  words,  for  I had  begun  to  entertain  the  idea  that 
we  were  to  be  drafted  back  and  forth  from  Guardo  to 
Guardo,  and  not  to  be  settled  in  any  ship  we  could  call 


68  RECOLLECTIONS  OE  A SAILOR  BOY. 

I 

our  own.  , At  the  words,  “drafted  for  the  “Louisiana,’  ” 
all  my  fears  were  dispelled.  We  made  a rush  for  our 
belongings,  and  obtaining  them,  we  mustered  aft 
on  the  quarter  deck  bearing  them  with  us.  The 
“Thames,”  a screw  propeller,  ran  up  alongside  and  we 
descended  to  her  deck.  When  all  were  on  board,  she 
steamed  out  into  the  stream  a half  a mile  below  the 
Guardo  and  there  came  to  anchor.  The  weather  was 
coming  in  thick  and  stormy,  so  the  captain  concluded 
not  to  put  to  sea  that  night.  One  of  our  company  was 
the  lucky  possessor  of  a violin,  and  that  was  forthwith 
brought  into  requisition,  and  we  danced  quadrilles  and 
contra  dances  until  late  in  the  night.  At  last  our 
guard  put  a stop  to  the  music,  consequently,  our 
dancing  had  to  stop  also,  but  by  that  time  we  had 
become  tired  enough  to  cease  and  were  glad  to  obey 
the  order.  A number  of  us  had  already  swung  our 
hammocks  in  the  most  convenient  places  we  could  find, 
while  others  who  could  not  find  a place  to  swing  theirs, 
spread  them  down  upon  the  deck,  and  very  soon  all 
were  in  the  arms  of  Morpheus. 


( 


GHAPTCR  IV. 

' ♦ 

GOOD-BY  TO  THE  GUARDO. 

“And  we  sailed  away  at  close  of  day, 

Nor  thought  it  very  hard’o, 

To  leave  behind  in  Wallabout  Bay, 

Paddy  D’yle  and  the  old  Guardo. 

WHEN  I awoke  in  the  morning  I could  hardly 
realize  where  I was,  it  seemed  so  strange  not  to 
hear  the  boatswain’s  hoarse  cry,  ^‘Up  all  hammocks.” 

I rubbed  my  eyes  and  thought  that  I must  be  dreaming. 
Raising  myself  up  in  my  hammock  and  looking  about, 

I was  greeted  with  a “Ha,  ha.”  Turning  over  on  . 
my  right  side  T discovered  Tom  engaged  in  lashing 
his  hammock.  At  the  same  time,  I became  conscious  of 
a swinging  motion  in  mine. 

“What’s  the  matter,  Steve?  What  makes  you  look 

\ 

so  funny?”  asked  Tom. 

“Oh,  nothing,  only  I was  lost  just  for  a moment,”  I \ 
replied,  and  jumping  out  of  my  hammock,  in  an  instant 
more  was  on  the  deck. 

“We  are  under  way,  Steve ; don’t  you  feel  the  mo- 
tion of  the  vessel  ?” 

I was  now  wide  awake  and  in  a moment  more  I had 
dressed,  and  proceeded  to  lash  my  hammock. 


70 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


The  boys  around  us  had  now  begun  to  stir,  and  by- 
and-by,  came  creeping  from  under  their  blankets > 
and  in  a few  minutes  all  were  preparing  to  go  on  deck. 
I left  my  hammock  hanging  in  its  place  and  followed 
the  rest.  As  I passed  the  engineer’s  room  I noticed  that 
the  clock  gave  the  hour  of  five.  Upon  reaching  the 
deck,  I passed  forward  and  accosted  the  watch  on  the 
forecastle,  with  the  enquiry  as  to  the  length  of  time  we 
had  been  under  way.  He  gave  me  the  desired  infor- 
mation, by  saying  that  we  were  two  hours  out  from  the 
Brooklyn  navy  yard.  As  he  did  not  seem  inclined 
to  be  talkative,  I left  him  and  engaged  myself  in  a 
search  after  Tom.  I soon  discovered  him  resting  on  a 
rail  amidship,  breakfasting  on  hard-tack  and  hot  coffee. 
As  soon  as  he  discerned  me  he  sang  out,  ‘‘get  your 
pot,  Steve,  and  go  to  the  cook-room  for  your  rations.” 
I was  not  slow  to  follow  this  injunction,  and  in  a few 
minutes  more  I was  seated  beside  Tom  on  the  rail,  in- 
haling the  delicious  aroma  arising  from  the  steaming 
beverage.  The  weather  was  beautiful  and  pleasant 
overhead,  and  as  our  little  steamer  pitched  into  the 
foamy  waves  and  threw  the  salt  spray  over  the  bow, 
with  merry  song  and  jest  our  little  party  passed  the 
time  away.  Our  rations  were  much  the  same  as  we 
had  been  treated  to  on  the  Guardo.  After  finishing 
our  first  meal  on  board  the  “Thames,”  Tom  andl  walk- 
about the  deck  to  enjoy  the  scene.  We  passed  many 


♦ 

EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  71 

vessels  as  we  steamed  along,  and  all  had  the  stars  and 
stripes  floating  at  the  masthead.  Oar  glorious  old 
“star  spangled  banner,”  no  other  flag  under  God’s 
heaven  has  received  so  many  tributes.  In  every  coun- 
try and  every  clime,  it  shakes  out  its  proud  folds  and 
assures  protection  to  all  who  stand  by  it.  The  Thames 
carried  one  gun  forward,  a twelve  pound  howitzer,  with 
which  we  amused  ourselves.  The  old  vets — there  were 
several  in  our  party — picked  out  a gun’s  crew  from  the 
thirty  recruits  on  board  and  put  us  through  the  evolu- 
tions of  working  the  gun  and  the  manner  of  loading  and 
firing  it.  Besides  the  gun’s  crew,  we  were  told  off  into 
watches,  and  with  what  handspikes  we  could  pick 
up,  and  others  that  we  improvised  from  pieces  of  wood, 
we  stood  ready  to  repel  an  imaginary  enemy.  Fun 
ran  riot  all  day,  and  the  regular  crew  of  the  “Thames” 
were  only  too  glad  when  the  hour  of  rest  came.  We 
did  not  know  our  destination,  and  some  did  not  care, 
seeing  that  we  were  released  from  the  Guardo ; that 
alone  was  pleasure  enough  to  last  for  a season,  but  in  the 
course  of  the  next  day  it  leaked  out,  as  all  secrets  do, 
sooner  or  later,  that  we  were  bound  to  Chesapeake  Bay. 

We  arrived  off  Fortress  Monroe  in  the  forenoon  of 
the  next  day,  and  ran  ,up  alongside  an  old  hulk, 
which  looked  as  if  it  had  been  built  a hundred 
years  or  more.  She  had  short  stumpy  masts,  • and 


72 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


there  was  a certain  air  of  decay  about  her  that  did  by 
no  means  meet  with  our  approval.  As  soon  as  the 
“Thames”  had  been  made  fast  to  her,  we  were 

ordered  on  board  together  with  our  effects,  while 

1 

the  “Thames”  steamed  down  the  Chesapeake.  In  a 
little  while  we  found  out  that  we  were  on  board  the  far- 
famed  “Brandywine.”  Her  top  hamper  had  been  re- 
moved ; the  stumps  alone  were  left  of  what  were  once 

( 

tall  and  comely  masts.  She  was  used  as  a store  ship 
during  the  rebellion,  and  lay  quietly  under  the  guns  of 
the  fort,  playing  a somewhat  insignificant  part,  to  be 
sure,  but  then  she  had  grown  old  and  nearly  worn  out 
in  the  service,  and  it  was  time  for  her  to  retire  and 
give  way  to  the  younger  and  more  modern  vessels. 
We  were  ordered  to  fall  into  line  on  the  port  side  of 
the  vessel,  and  the  lieutenant  called  the  roll  to 
see  if  all  were  on  board.  Thirty  men  answered  to 
their  names,  and  we  were  then  turned  over  to  the 
master-at-arms,  who  showed  us  where  to  stow  our 
bags  and  hammocks.  Our  next  piece  of  instruc- 
tion was  to  be  shown  where  to  swing  our  hammocks  at 
night,  following  which  were  some  general  instructions 
as  to  what  would  be  required  of  us  while  we  remained 
on  board. 

“To-morrow,”  he  told  us,  “is  wash  day,  and  any 
of  you  who  choose  may  wash  your  clothes  and 
hang  them  out  on  the  line  to  dry  with  those  of  the 


RECOLLECTIQNS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  • 73 

crew.  You  will  be  expected  to  turn  to  and  work  with 
the  rest  while  you  remain  on  board ; yoii  will  not  be 
expected  to  stand  watch,  as  we  have  our  full  comple- 
ment of  men ; you  will  be  divided  among  the  different 
messes  of  men  at  meal  times  and  draw  rations  in  the 
same  proportions  as  they.”  Having  told  us  all  this,  he 
said  we  might  go  on  deck  and  get  acquainted  with  the^ 
crew.  • , 

Arriving  on  deck,  we  were  overwhelmed  with 
questions  from  the  ‘‘Brandywine”  men,  who  were  all 
eager  to  hear  news  from  home,  but  we  being  all  New 
England  men,  could  only  tell  them  of  our  homes  so 
recently  left,  and  as  none  of  the  crew  of  the  “Brandy- 
wine” came  from  Massachusetts  or  Rhode  Island,  our 
news  was  of  but  little  interest  to  them.  They  in  turn 
rehearsed  to  our  listening  ears  nearly  all  that  had 
transpired  to  them  since  they  had  joined  the  store  ship, 
as  I suppose  I must  call  it  now.  They  told  us  of  the 
jolly  times  they  spent  on  shore  whenever  they'  got  an 
opportunity,  and  spoke  of  the  gun-boats  that  came  down 
the  James  River  once  in  a while  on  a reconnoisance  of 

I 

our  force.  They  pointed  out  to  us  a Spanish  and  a 
French  frigate  lying  in  the  harbor  to  protect  their 
country’s  interests ; in  fact  so  loquacious  were  they  in 
explaining  everything  pertaining  to  the.  ship  and 
her  surroundings,  that  by  dinner,  time  • we  were 
perfectly  at  home  on  board.  Dinner  over. 


I 


74 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


occupied  myself  in  being  useful,  and  so  well  did 
I succeed  that^  I was  commended  by  one  of  the 
officers  as  being  a handy  man  on  board  ship.  As  the 
other  members  of  the  draft  were  equally  useful  I did 
not  allow  the  officer’s  flattery  to  make  me  vain  towards 
my  fellows.  Just  before  the  sunset  gun  was  fired  from 
the  “Minnesota,”  which  was  lying  just  above  us  in  the 
harbor,  the  crews  of  the  French  and  Spanish  frigates, 
before  spoken  of,  mounted  into  the  rigging,  and  in  a 
moment  the  yards  were  black  with  men,  or  white 
rather,  as  the  crew  of  both  frigates  were  dressed  in 
white  shirts  and  duck  pants.  At  the  signal  of  a gun, 
fired  from  each  vessel  at  nearly  the  same  instant,  the 
yards  were  hauled  aslant  and  they  descended  to  the 
deck  as  by  magic.  This  was  called  sending  down  the 
yards,  and  was  practiced  by  all  foreign  vessels  at  that 
time.  The  yards  are  sent  below  and  stored  over  night, 
and  in  the  morning,  at  the  report  of  the  sunrise  gun,^ 
they  are  sent  up  and  trimmed.  The  Spanish  and 
French  tars  had  a way  of  rowing  in  their  small  boats 
unlike  anything  I had  ever  witnessed  before.  They 
pulled  with  a long,  steady  stroke,  with  a second’s  halt 
as  the  oar  emerges  out  of  and  before  it  descends  into 
the  water  again.  Ours  was  also  a long  stroke,  but 
with  no  halt  between  the  intervals,  and  I am  free  to 
confess  that  I decidedly  preferred  the  way  in  which  our 
tars  handled  their  oars  to  the  foreign  mode. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


75 


We  had  now  been  cooped  up  on  board  ship  for  nearly 
two  months,  and  I was  determined,  so  I told  Tom  as 
we  turned  in  tbat  night,  that  I would  go  ashore  the 
very  next  day,  if  there  was  any  virtue  in  asking.  He 
fell  in  with  the  proposition  and  we  agreed  to  ask  to  go 
together.  The  regular  crew  of  the  ‘‘Brandywine”  were 
allowed,  so  they  told  us,  a portion  of  them  each  day  to 
go  on  shore  and  enjoy  themselves  from  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing to  four  in  the  afternoon.  The  next  morning  came 
in  bright  and  pleasant,  and  bade  fair  for  a splendid 
day.  After  the  morning’s  work  was  over,  a few  of  the 
crew  who  wanted  liberty  to  go  on  shore,  approached 
the  executive  officer  aft  in  the  cabin,  and  obtained  per- 
mission from  him  to  spend  a day  on  land.  With  a 
beating  heart  and  after  much  persuasion,  I approached 
the  cabin,  followed  by  Tom,  and  looked  in.  The  lieu- 
tenant sat  with  his  back  to  the  open  door.  I gave  a 
gentle  tap  with  my  knuckles  to  attract  his  attention,  on 
which  he  turned  round  in  his  seat<  I doffed  my  cap  to 
him  and  said,  “Can  I have  permission  to  go  on  shore, 
sir?”  He  smiled  on  me  pleasantly,  and  asked  me  if  I 
belonged  to  the  draft  lately  come  on  board. 

I hesitated  a moment,  then  said,  ^‘Yes,  sir,  I do.” 

“Well,  my  boy,”  said  he,  “it’s  not  the  rule  to  let 
new  recruits  visit  the  shore  until  they  are  out  of  debt  with 
the  ship.  But,”  he  continued,  “as  there  are  only  a 
few  recruits  on  board  at  the  present  time,  perhaps  it 


76  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  *BOT. 


I 


would  be  as  "well  to  allow  them  to  mix  in  with  the  older 
sailors  for  a day  of  liberty.” 

This  was  said  in  a musing  tone  of  voice,  as  if  he  were 
speaking  to  himself  rather  than  to  Tom  and  me then 
looking  at  us,  he  said,  ‘*Yes,  you  may  go.”  Seeing 
Tom  in  the  background,  he  added,  “You  may  go  with 
him.”  We  walked  forward,  after  saluting  him,  and 
acquainted  our  messmates  with  the  good  news.  At 
nine  o’clock,  the  launch  was  ordered  alongside,  and  the 
liberty  men  stepped  into  it.  The  boys  on  the  store  ship 
looked  wistfully  at  us  as  we  moved  away,  and.  I felt 
sorry  that  they  could  not  accompany  us,  but  I consoled 
myself  with  the  thought  that  they  would  probably  have, 
opportunity  enough  to  visit  land  before  our  final  depart- 
ure from  the  “Brandywine.”  In  a short  timS  after 
leaving  the  ship’s  side  our  boat’s  keel  grated  on  the  hard 
sand  right  under  the  guns  of  the  fortress,  and  we  all 
sprang  ashore.  Tom  and  I strolled  off  by  ourselves  so 
as  to  fully  enjoy  the -day,  and  bent  our  steps  in  the 
direction  of  the  fortress.  Fortress  Monroe  is  situated 
at  old  Point  Virginia  on  the  Hampton  roads.  The  fort 
encloses  eighty  acres  of  land,  and  must  have  cost  the 
government  thousands  of  dollars  in  its  construction. 
There  is  at  the  present  time  a United*  States  arsenal  of 
artillery,  and  an  arsenal,  etc.  About  four  miles  south 
of  Fortress  Monroe  I could  discern  Sewell  Point.  We 
spent  three  hours  in  the  fortress  viewing  the  heavy  guns 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


77 


and  looking  through  the  soldiers’  quarters ; nice,  cozy 
quarters  they  were,  too.  The  soldiers  were  very  socia- 
ble, and  entertained  us  in  a highly  creditable  manner. 
They  informed  us  that  a ram  called  the  “Merrimac” 
was  building  at  Norfolk  by  the  rebels,  and  as  soon 
as  finished  would  come  down  and  endeavor  to  burn  and 
sink  all  the  Union  vessels  in  the  harbor.  History 
relates  how  nearly  this  object  was  accomplished.  Just 
outside  the  fort,  on  a point  of  land,  we  were  shown  a 
monster  gun  that  was  expected  to  do  wonders  in  the 

way  of  destroying  all  craft  that  the  rebels  had  the  dar- 

\ 

ing  to  pit  against  them.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  little 
^‘Monitor,”  when  on  that  eventful  day  the  “Mer- 
rimac”  came  down  the  river  and  attacked  and  sunk  the 
‘‘Cumberland,”  history  would  have  had  a more  sorrow- 
ful tale  to  relate  than  the  sinking  of  that  ill-fated  ship, 
butchering  of  two-thirds  of  her  crew,  and  the  wound- 
ing of  the  “Congress.”  As  I looked  out  over  the 
✓ 

placid  bay  at  the  vessels  lying  quietly  at  anchor  in  the 
harbor,  I could  hardly  realize  that  they  were  waiting, 
armed  and  equipped,  to  do  battle  for  the  Union . W e had 
seen  nought  of  cruel  warfare  ; it  was  more  like  a jour- 
ney of  pleasure  to  us  as  yet,  and  but  for  the  rig  that  we 
wore,  I could  hardly  have  imagined  that  it  was  other- 
wise. Outside  the  fort  it  was  different.  Soldiers  were 
moving  back  and  forth,  some  with  their  knapsacks  slung, 
and  their  haversacks  and  canteens  at  their  sides,  break- 


78  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

% 

ing  camp  and  preparing  to  go  and  meet  the  enemy. 
Some  there  were  with  sun-blackened  and  bronzed  faces 
that  already  told  of  service  in  the  field  at  the  front. 

The  day  was  only  too  short  to  see  all  the  stirring  scenes 
around  us,  and  four  o’clock  came  before  I was  hardly 
aware  of  it.  As  the  hour  drew  near,  Tom  and  I made 
our  way  to  the  landing  to  be  in  readiness  for  the  launch 
to  take  us  back  to  the  “Brandywine.  We  were  nearly 
the  first  to  arrive  at  the  boat,  though  not  long  after- 
wards the  rest  of  the  liberty  men  came  straggling  down. 
Stepping  into  the  boat,  we  pushed  off,  and  in  a few 
moments  we  were  on  board  the  ship  again.  Tom  and 
I were  very  fortunate  in  obtaining  liberty  that  day,  for 
in  the  evening,  before  we  slung  our  hammocks,  we  were 
informed  that  we  were  to  leave  in  a steamer  that  was 
expected  to  come  in  the  morning.  That  was  newg  indeed 
to  us,  and  when  we  turned  in  that  night,  I,  for  one,  did 
not  sleep  till  after  eight  bells  (twelve  o’clock)  had  struck. 
The  next  morning  we  were  called  at  the  usual  time  by 
the  boatswain,  and  hastily  dressing,  were  soon  on  deck 
helping  the  crew  to  wash  down.  After  breakfast  I lent 
a hand  to  the  crew  to  put  the  “Brandywine”  in  ship- 
shape fashion. 

I had  received  but  one  letter  from  home  since  leaving 
the  Guardo,  and  did  not  expect  to  receive  any  more 

until  I reached  the  “Louisiana.”  I missed  them  very 

/ 

much,  and  could  I have  received  just  one  to  tell  me 

I 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


79 


how  they  all  were  there,  I should  have  been  as  happy 

as  possible  under  the  circumstances.  We  cast  many  anx- 

/ 

ious  glances  seaward  for  the  expected  steamer  which 
was  to  bear  us  to  the  seat  of  war,  but  she  delayed  in 
coming.  Dinner  was  served  and  eaten,  yet  there  were 
no  signs  of  the  vessel  that  we  were  so  anxiously  wait- 
ing for.  The  sun  was  sinking  in  the  western  horizon, 
and  the  shadows  of  the  stub  masts  of  the  “Brandywine” 
lengthened ; we  were  on  the  tip-toe  of  expectation , 
when  a cry,  “Sail,  O !”  from  the  lookout  forward, 
attracted  the  attention  of  all  on  board. 

“Where  away?”  said  the  quartermaster. 

“Off  the  port  bow.  It’s  a steamer,  sir;  I can  just 
make  out  the  smoke  from  her  stack.” 

The  quartermaster  adjusted  his  glas»  and  took  a long 
look  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  lookout.  The 
lieutenant,  who  was  pacing  the  deck,  stopped  as  the 
quartermaster  removed  the  glass  from  his  eyes.  “Well, 
what  do  you  make  her  out  to  be,  quartermaster?” 

“A  gunboat,  sir,  as  near  as  I can  determine.” 

“Can  you  make  out  her  nationality  ?”  next  enquired 
the  lieutenant. 

The  quartermaster  looked  again,  and  after  what 
seemed  a long  time  to  us,  said,  “It’s  a United  States 
gunboat,  sir ; I can  see  the  stars  and  stripes  now,  float- 
ing from  her  peak.” 

The  lieutenant  took  the  glass,  and  looked  long  at  her 


80 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


as  she  was  rapidly  approaching  us,  and  so  near  that 
we  could  discern  her  with  the  naked  eye.  .Satisfying 
himself,  he  returned  the  glass  to  the  quartermaster, 
saying,  ‘‘she  has  the  appearance  of  being  the  gunboat 
‘Delaware,’  and  if  it  proves  to  be  her,  she  is  coming 
for  the  recruits.  Are  they  all  on  board?” 

“Yes,  sir.”  ^ 

“Very  well,  then  I will  have  them  on  deck,”  and 
turning  to  the  boatswain  he  ordered  him  to  muster  all 
the  recruits  destined  for  the  gunboat  “Louisiana.”  The 
boatswain  sounded  his  whistle,  and  called  for  the 
recruits  to  muster  on  deck  with  bags  and  hammocks — 
would  we  never  cease  to  hear  that  order  of  “muster  on 
deck,  with  your  bags  and  hammocks  ?”  By  the  time  we 
were  all  assembled,  the  gunboat,  for  it  was  the  “Dela- 
ware,” was  alongside,  and  it’s  lieutenant  stepped  on 
board  the  “Brandywine,”  and  handed  to  our  executive 

officer  a folded  document.  The  lieutenant  invited  his 

/ 

guest  to  accompany  him  into  the  cabin  while  he  exam- 
ined the  papers.  They  were  absent  quite  a while.  In  the 
meantime  we  amused  ourselves  by  asking  questions  of 
the  “Delaware’s”  crew  in  regard  to  the  whereabouts 
of  the  “Louisiana,”  and  answering  their  inquiries 
about  home,  as  well  as  we  were  able  to.  It  was  quite 
dark  before  the  lieutenant  of  the  “Delaware”  made  his 

I ^ ' 

appearance  on  deck  with  our  executive,  who  turned  to 
the  boatswain,  and  gave  him  an  order,  which  in  turn 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  81 

he  gave  to  us.  ‘‘Bear  a hand,  my  men,”  said  he, “with 

your  duds,  and  get  aboard  the  “Deleware.”  The 

order  was  not  repeated  twice,  for  over  the  side  went 

our  dunnage  in  a promiscuous  heap  on  the  gunboat’s 

deck  and  we  eagerly  followed  after.  As  soon  as  we 

were  all  on  board,  the  fastenings  were  cast  loose  and 

» 

the  “Dealware”  steamed  off  into  the  darkness. 

I passed  an  almost  sleepless  night  on  board,  for  the 
sea  was  very  rough,  and  having  no  place  in  which  to 
swing  our  hammocks,  we  were  compelled  to  spread 
them  out  on  the  deck.  Tom  and  I lay  rolled  up  in 
our  blankets  with  our  clothes  on.  The  place  we 
chose  for  our  sleeping  quarters  was  beside  a gun  car- 
riage, with  a thirty-two  pound  gun  mounted  upon  it. 
When  the  steamer  rolled  to  port,  the  muzzle  of  the  gun 
would  touch  the  water  on  that  side  ; when  she  righted 
and  "rolled  to  starboard,  the  gun-chocks  became  loosened 
and  the  gun-carriage  rolled  inboard  as  far  as  the 
breeching  would  allow  it,  then  it  would  bring  up  with 
a jerk,  and  I was  afraid  that  the  gun  chocks  would 
be  knocked  on  one  side  arid  that  the  carriage  and 
gun  would  roll  to  port  or  starboard  and  disappear 
in  the  angry  seething  sea  around  us.  At  last,  finding 
it  useless  to  essay  to  sleep,  I announced  to  Tom  my  in- 
tention to  get  up  and  walk  the  deck  awhile. 

This  roused  Tom  up  a little  and  looking  in  my  di- 
rection, he  said — 


82 


EECOLX.ECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


“Oh,  pilot,  ’tis  a fearful  night, 

There’s  danger  on  the  deep ; 

I’ll  come  and  pace  the  deck  -vrith  thee, 

I do  not  dare  to  sleep.” 

“Go  down,  go  down,  the  sailor  said,” — 

I did  not  wait  for  him  to  finish,  but  made  my  way 

forward  to  where  the  lookout  was  stationed.  I crouched 

down  under  the  bulwarks  to  get  out  of  the  wind 

which  was  blowing  a gale,  I thought,  and  so  said  to 

the  sailor  on  watch,  who  looking  at  me  replied  : — 

“Pooh,  this  is  only  a good  fresh  breeze.” 

“Did  you  ever  witness  a gale?”  I inquired  looking 

up  innocently. 

He  laughed  and  said,  “We  sailors  are  apt  to  call  a 
heavy  blow  a fresh  breeze.” 

“About  where  are  we  now,  can  you  make  out?” 
‘‘AVhy,  yes,  we  are  off  Cape  Henry.  Get  on  your 
feet  and  you  can  see  Cape  Henry  light.  There,”  he 
said,  pointing  to  a light  just  abaft  our  starboard  gangway 
that  seemed  to  rise  and  fall  as  the  steamer  rose  on  the 
crest  of  a wave  or  sank  into  its  trough. 

“Wher’s  your  pea  jacket?”  enquired  the  sailor, 
“you  ought  to  have  it  on  such  a night  as  this. 

“In  my  bag  alongside  the  thirty-two  gun,”  I replied, 
“I  will  go  and  fetch  it.” 

I returned  to  the  gun  staggering  all  the  way  like  a 
drunken  man,  and  two  or  three  times  came  near  pitch- 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


83 


ing  headlong.  I had  no  trouble  in  finding  my  bag,  and 
in  a minute  more  had  my  jacket  on  my  back.  I re- 
turned the  bag  to  its  place  beside  the  gun,  then  stoop- 
ed down  to  see  if  Tom  was  asleep,  as  he  had  not  spoken 
while  I was  fumbling  around  after  my  clothes.  I spoke 
to  him,  but  receiving  no  reply,  I concluded  he  was 
asleep,  and  retraced  my  steps  forward  again  half  envy- 
ing him  his  peaceful  slumber.  I soon  regained  my 
place  beside  the  lookout,  and  we  engaged  in  a nice 
chat.  I acquainted  him  with  nearly  all  that  had  tran- 
spired to  me  since  my  enlistment,  and . at  the  mention 
of  Paddy  D’yle’s  name  he  laughed  outright. 

“You  have  got  him  down  fine,  my  lad,”  said  he,  “1 
have  been  on  the  old  ‘North  Carolina’  since  the  war. 
I was  drafted  from  her  to  the  ‘Deleware.’  There  was 
some  tough  boys  among  the  recruits  then,  and  a num- 
ber of  them  had  ‘sailed  the  ocean  blue,’  and  were  up 
to  all  the  tricks  practiced  in  the  navy,  and  we  just 
made  it  hot  for  Paddy  D’yle,  for  that’s  the  name  he 
went  by  while  I was  on  board  the  Guardo.” 

“Strike  seven  bells,”  said  the  quartermaster.  , 
The  lookout  obeyed  the  order,  then  returned  to  my 
side. 

# 

“Let’s  see,  where  was  I?  Oh,  we  were  talking 
about  Paddy  D’yle.  Well,  we  gave  the  old  duffer  such 
a scare  one  night  that  he  didn’t  dare  to  come  creeping 
under  our  hammocks  any  more.  You  see  it  happened 


84 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


in  this  way.  One  Wednesday  night,  after  we  had 
all  turned  into  our  hammocks  on  the  berth  deck,  some 
of  the  boys’  friends,  who  had  been  visiting  them,  had 
smuggled  some  liquor  aboard,  although  the  guard  were 
very  careful  to  search  all  persons  coming  over  the  side  ; 
yet  by  hook  or  by  crook,  they  passed  the  guard  with  a 
bottle  or  two  of  prime  old  Ot^rd,  and  the  consequence 
was  that  the  boys  were  feeling  pretty  good  by  bed  time 
and  up  to  all  manner  of  tricks.  The  ‘haymakers,’  as 
the  new  recruits  were  called,  had  to  suffer  that  night, 
and  those  of  them  who  kicked  were  very  roughly  handled 
by  our  fellows.  I kept  out  of  the  way  as  I did  not 
wish  to  be  mixed  up  in  the  row.  Well,  when  all  was 
ready,  one  man  was  stationed  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder 
on  the  berth  deck  to  give  warning  of  the  approach  of 
Paddy  D’yJe,  and  then  all  began  to  holler ; some  would 
imitate  a cat-call,  some  the  neighing  of  a horse,  or  the 
crowing  of  a rooster,  in  fact  every  imaginable  call  for 
a living  animal.  Such  an  uproar  no  one  could 
conceive  of  unless  he  was  present.  You  may  be  sure 
that  Paddy  D’yle  was  not  long  in  being  posted  as  to 
the  state  of  affairs  upon  the  berth  deck.  Not  many 
minutes  had  elapsed  before  he  made  his  appearance 
among  us.  In  the  meantime  a lot  of  swabs  had  been 

I 

collected  by  the  men  and  thoroughly  soaked  with  water. 
There  was  a tall  six-footer  among  the  recruits  on  the 
Guardo  named  Jonas  Farella,  who  was  considered  a 


85 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

' / 

tough  customer  in  a rough  and  tumble — none  of  the 
boys  ever  had  the  inclination  to  tackle  him.  He  sprang 
out  of  his  hammock  as  Paddy  D’yle  approached,  and 
before  he  had  a chance  to  see  who  hit  him,  whack  went 
the  swab  into  his  face  propelled  with  tremendous  force 
by  Farella’s  strong  arm.  At  once  commenced  a scene 
of  the  utmost  confusion.  Fifty  men  with  water-satu- 
rated swabs  went  for  the  miserable  wretch  and  he  was 
kicked  and  buffeted  about  the  deck  to  the  entire  satis- 
faction of  all  the  occupants  of  the  berth  deck.  The 
rumpus  made  and  Paddy  D’yle’s  cries  reached  the  ears 
of  the  officer  of  the  deck,  who,  suspecting  trouble,  sent 
for  a file  of  marines  and  hastened  himself  to  the  scene 
of  the  trouble.  Before  he  had  reached  the  place,  how- 
ever,  Paddy  D’yle  had  managed  to  crawl  up  the  ladder 
to  the  spar  deck,  a thoroughly  battered  and  discomfitted 
being,  while  the  men  all  returned  to  their  hammocks 
and  everything  was  as  still  as  death  on  the  berth  deck. 
As  well  might  the  officers  and  the  marines  hunt  for  a 
needle  dropped  on  the  deck  as  to  find  the  culprit  or 
culprits  who  had  been  foremost  in  the  row.  Some  of 
the  crew  were  ordered  out  of  their  hammocks  and  were 
questioned  by  the  officer  of  the  deck,  but  failing  to 
find  out  any  thing  to  throw  light  upon  the  matter,  he 
threatened  them  with  the  brig  and  bread  and  water 
until  the  leaders  in  the  scrimmage  were  pointed  out, 
but  without  avail,  and  in  a surly  tone  of  voice  he 


86 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


ordered  the  men  back  to  their  berths,  and  stationed  a 
marine  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder  to  keep  order  the  rest 
of  the  night.  On  the  following  morning,  several  of 
the  boys  were  arrested  on  suspicion  and  brought  up 
before  the  old  man,  but  as  they  were  all  true  blue  he 
did  not  make  anything  out  by  questioning  and  cross- 
questioning them,  so  he  finally  let  them  go  forward  with 
the  rest  of  the  crew.  That  afternoon  we  were  all  mus- 
tered on  the  the  quarterdeck,  and  the  old  man  delivered 
a lecture  for  our  benefit  as  long  as  the  yard  arm.  Then 
we  were  dismisssed  with  a warning  that  if  any  man 
was  brought  up  before  him  for  disorderly  conduct,  he 
should  be  punished  with  the  brig  for  twenty  days  with 
bread  and  water.  You  can  bet  your  bottom  dollar 
that  we  were  kept  at  work  while  we  remained  on  the 
Guardo.” 

‘‘Strike  eight  belts,”  said  the  quartermaster. 

The  lookout  obeyed  and  hardly  had  the  sound  from 
the  last  stroke  died  out  than  he  was  relieved  from 
watch  and  could  turn  in. 

“Look  here,  boy,”  said  he,  “I  guess  I can  fix  it  all 
right  with  my  mate  here  so  that  you  can  turn  into  his 
hammock  below  and  get  some  sleep.” 

He  then  left  me  but  soon  returned  with  the  glad  tid- 
ings that  I could  occupy  his  hammock  while  he  was  on 
watch  two  hours.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  I gladly 
accepted  the  offer.  I turned  into  the  warm  nest,  and 


87 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

was  soon  in  the  land  of  dreams.  It  did  not  seem  to 
me  that  I had  been  asleep  for  more  than  five  minutes  when 
I was  aroused  by  the  owner  of  the  hammock,  whose 
time  on  watch  had  expired.  Reluctantly  I turned  out 
of  my  snug  quarters  and  made  my  way  upon  deck.  The 
wind  had  nearly  subsided,  and  the  “Delaware”  rolled 
along  easily  with  the  long  ground  swell  undulating 
beneath  us.  I now  sought  my  first  resting-place  beside 
the  thirty-two  gun.  Tom  was  sound  asleep  and  snor- 
ing* loudly.  Rolling  myself  up  in  my  blanket  1 soon 
fell  asleep  and  was  not  aroused  again  till  the  hammocks 
were  piped  up  in  the  morning.  Tom  was  first  to 
awake,  and  he  gave  me  a punch  in  the  side  that  caused 
me  to  start  quickly  up  in  time  to  hear  the  last  long 
drawn  notes  of  the  boatswain’s  mate’s  pipe. 

“How  do  you  feel,  Steve  !”  said  Tom. 

“Oh,  all  right.”  “I  wonder  where  we  are,”  said 
Tom,  “off  what  land?” 

I inquired  of  one  of  the  sailors  as  to’  our  where- 
abouts. 

“We  are  off  Hatteras,  and  will  soon  be  in  the  still 
waters  of  Pamlico  Sound,”  was  the  reply. 

Three  bells  were  struck  (half  past  five)  as  Tom  and 
I went  forward  in  order  to  have  a better  look  at  the 
country.  We  were  now  entering  Hatteras  inlet.  It 

was  very  rough  water  and  the  old  “Delaware  ” cut  up 
7 


88 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


antics  similar  to  those  in  the  night.  We  passed  Fort 
Hatteras,  plainly  discernable  on  the  right  of  the  inlet, 
and  in  a few  minutes  more  we  were  in  the  still  waters 
of  Pamlico  sound.  The  captain  of  the  ‘‘Delaware” 
concluded  to  come  to  an  anchor  while  the  crew  washed 
the  deck  and  ate  their  breakfast.  Tom  and  I,  and  the 
rest  of  the  draft,  helped  the  crew  to  wash  down  and 
coil  the  ropes  about  the  guns ; then  at  the  call  of  the 
boatswain  for  breakfast  we  sat  down  to  a hearty  meal, 
consisting  of  canned  meats,  souse,  (potatoes  and  hard- 
tack served  up  together  with  butter)  good  hot  coffee, 
and  the  first  new  brittle,  hard-tack  that  it  had  been 
my  fortune  to  see  since  my  enlistment.  The  coffee 
was  excellent,  too,  and  I felt  refreshed  after  the  repast, 
and  went  on  deck  with  the  feelings  of  a boy  able  to 
do  a man’s  duties.  As  I gained  the  deck  the  sun  was 
just  peeping  forth  in  all  its  glory,  lighting  up  the 
heavens  in  the  southern  and  eastern  horizon  with  a 
lurid  glare  changing  to  an  orange  and  gold  color,  then 
to  a lovely  pink,  which,  at  last,  as  the  day  l^roke,  faded 
out  in  the  blue  ether.  At  eight  bells,  the  boatswain’s 
mate  piped  all  hands  to  up  anchor,  the  new  draft  lend- 
ing a hand  with  the  regular  crew,  and  very  soon  after 
the  order  had  been  given,  the  anchor  was  catted,  and 
we  were  steaming  along  up  Pamlico  Sound  toward  New 
Berne.  There  was  not  much  of  interest  to  attract  our 
attention.  The  land  looked  barren  with  the  excep- 


/ 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


89 


tion  of  a low  wooded  shore  occasionally  to  relieve  the 
eyes  ; but  there  was  nothing  for  Tom  and  me  to  do  but 
view  the  landscape  from  our  perch  upon  the  forecastle 
deck.  The  “Delaware”  was  quite  a fast  boat  and  she 
glided  along  with  an  easy  motion  that  was  truly  delight- 
ful, especially  after  being  pitched  about  upon  the  rough 

I " 

sea  outside  Hatteras.  We  came  insight  of  New  Berne 
about  eight  bells  (four  o’clock)  in  the  afternoon,  and  in 
half  an  hour  or  more  entered  the  harbor.  Several  gun- 
boats were  lying  ,at  anchor  off  the  town,  and  to  the 
smallest  of  these  the  “Delaware”  ran  up  alongside. 
She  proved  to  be  the  gun-boat  “Hetzel.”  After  an 
exchange  of  civilities  between  the  captain  of  the  “Del- 
aware” and  Commodore  Rowan,  who  was  on  board  the 
“Hetzel,”  (the  “Hetzel”  was  the  commodore’s  flag- 
ship,) we  were  ordered  on  board  of  her.  So  once  more 
we  took  up  our  beds  and  baggage  and  walked. 

“Goodness  gracious  !”  exclaimed  Tom,  upon  going 
aboard  the  “Hetzel,”  and  seeing  what  a wee  little  gun- 
boat she  was,  “we’ll  have  to  swing  our  hammocks  over 
the  side,  sure,  this  time ; there  ain’t  room  enough 
under  the  deck  of  this  craft  for  all  of  us  to  swing  in. 
Goodness  gracious  !”he  continued,  “ain’t  we  ever  going 
to  get  to  the  ‘Louisiana?’  I don’t  believe  there  is  any 
such  boat  as  the  ‘Louisiana’ ; all  they  wanted  on  board 
the  Guardo  was  to  get  rid  of  us.  Goodness  gra ” 

Before  he  had  time  to  finish  the  sentence  we  were 


90 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


ordered  to  fall  in  line  on  the  deck.  The  executive  offi- 
cer of  the  “Hetzel”  informed  us  that  we  were  to  stay 
on  board  a few  days,  until  a steamer  left  New  Berne, 
which  would  convey  us  to  Little  Washington,  where  he 
said  the  “Louisiana  ” lay.  He  explained  to  us  that  we 
should  have  to  contrive  the  best  way  we  could  for  the 
few  days  we  were  compelled  to  remain  on  board ; our 
rations  would  be  the  same  as  were  issued  to  the  crew  of 
the  “Hetzel,”  but  as  regarded  the  sleeping  quarters, 
we  should  have  to  spread  our  hammocks  upon  the  deck, 
as  there  was  no  room  to  swing  them.  After  we  were 
dismissed  we  mingled  with  the  crew,  and  sat  up  late  in 
the  evening,  smoking  and  telling  yarns.  The  next  day 
after  our  arrival  on  board,  Tom  and  I obtained  permis- 
sion to  visit  the  town ; so  with  some  dozen  or  more  of 
others  who  had  obtained  permission  to  go,  we  were 
rowed  on  shore  by  the  crew  of  the  “Hetzel,”  some  of 
whom  had  secured  a day  of  liberty,  and  who  offered  to 
show  us  around  the  town.  After  landing,  we  started  up 
the  street  to  a hotel  called  the  Gaston  House,  a large, 
substantial,  wooden  structure.  A wide  pair  of  steps 
on  the  main  street  led  up  to  a spacious  hall-way,  giving 
ready  access  to  the  building.  A similar  wide  stair-way 
on  the  opposite  side  led  down  to  another  street.  One 
of  the  boys  related  a story  connected  with  this  house 
which  I will  ^ive  in  his  own  words.  ‘ ‘When  New  Berne 
was  first  occupied  by  our  forces,”  said  our  informant. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


91 


“a  prominent  officer  of  the  army  rode  up  the  steps  from 
the  main  street  on  horseback,  drove  his  horse  through 
the  long  hall-way  and  rode  out  by  the  steps  leading  to 
the  other  street,  ‘a  la  Putnam.’  The  rebs  in  their 
hurry  to  evacuate,  left  everything  in  place,  and  among 
other  things,  a number  of  baskets  of  champagne  were 
left  intact.  When  the  officer  rode  down  into  the  street, 
he  bore  in  front  of  him  on  the  saddle,  a basket  of  cham- 
pagne. It  is  needless  to  add  that  it  was  found  very 
acceptable  to  his  brother  officers  on  their  arrival  in  camp.” 

We  visited  all  the  forts,  and  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island  - 
regiment.  The  boys  of  the  “Fifth”  were  very  glad  to  see 
Tom  and  me,  as  we  were  from  their  own  state  and  could 

give  them  all  the  news  about  Providence  and  the 

/ 

vicinity.  I hunted  up  Charlie  Snow  of  the  “Fifth.” 
He  was  formerly  a shopmate  of  mine,  before  the  war. 
He  insisted  that  Tom  and  I should  dine  with  him ; it 
however  did  not  require  much  persuasion  to  make  us 
do  that.  While  eating  we  regaled  the  boys  with  our 
trials  since  leaving  home,  and  when  we  were  through 
Charlie  said,  “If  you  continue  in  the  way  you  have 
started,  your  time  will  be  out  before  you  have  a chance 
to  do  any  fighting.”  Dinner  over,  we  spent  the  remain- 
ing time  at  our  disposal  in  roaming  the  town. 

New  Berne  is  quite  a large  place  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Neuse  river,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Trent, 
on  the  Atlantic  and  North  Carolina  Railroad,  about 


92 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


ninety  miles  from  Wilmington.  The  Neuse  river  is 
nearly  two  miles  wide  and  is  navigable  for  steam- 

s 

boats.  Lumber,  tar,  and  turpentine  are  some  of  the 
chief  products  of  the  place.  We  found  a court  house, 
several  churches,  two  banks  and  the  New  Berne  academv. 
The  surrounding  country  is  flat  and  has  a sandy  soil. 
It  had  a population  of  about  5,000  before  the  war. 

We  arrived  at  the  landing  about  four  o’clock, 
and  when  all  our  companions  had  come  we  signalled 
the  “Hetzel”  to  send  a boat  for  our  conveyance  to  the 
vessel.  After  such  a day  spent  on  shore,  when  we 
boarded  the  steamer  again  our  appetites  were  sharpened, 
and  we  did  full  justice  to  the  hard-tack  and  salt  junk 
spread  out  before  us  at  supper  time.  When  we  turned 
in  that  night  I was  tired.  I had  no  remembraince  of 
awakening  during  the  night,  and  I dreamed  a pleasant 
dream  of  home  in  which  I had  served  my  time  out  and 
had  arrived  in  Providence.  I was  just  entering  the 
yard  at  home  when  I was  awakened  by  the  shrill  pipe 
of  the  boatswain’s  mate,  calling  up  all  hands.  My 
dream  seemed  so  real  that  I could  hardly  realize  my 
whereabouts,  for  a moment  or  two.  But  the  boat- 
swain’s order,  up  all  hammocks,  speedily  brought  me 
to  the  realizing  sense  that  I still  belonged  to  Uncle  Sam. 
The  day  was  wash  day,  and  we  had  a chance  to  clean 
all  our  underwear,  that  we  had  thrust  into  our  bags,  in 
anticipation  of  just  such  a day.  Time  hung  heavily 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


93 


on  our  hands  now,  while  we  were  waiting  for  'trans- 
portation. At  last,  when  we  had  almost  given  up 
hope  of  being  sent  to  Washington,  the  boatswain’s 
mate  piped  the  “new  draft”  to  muster,  and  shortly 
after  a steamer  was  discerned  in  the  distance.  This 
proved  to  be  the  “Eagle,”  a double  ender,  used  before 
the  war  in  the  capacity  of  a ferry  boat  in  New  York 
harbor.  She  with  the  steamer  “Curlew”  were 

fitted  out  with  two  guns  each  and  sent  to  New 
Berne,  where  they  acted  in  the  capacity  of  mail  boats, 
alternating  between  New  Berne,  Elizabeth  City,  Ply- 
mouth, etc.  We  were  speedily  transferred  to  her,  and 
judging  from  the  looks  of  the  commodore,  he  was 
glad  to  see  us  go  over  the  side. 

She  started  about  eleven  o’clock  in  the  forenoon  for 
Washington,  but  had  not  proceeded  more  than  ten 
miles  when  she  burst  a flue,  and  in  consequence  of  that 
had  to  put  back  to  New  Berne,  and  once  more  we  ran 
alongside  the  “ Hetzel.”  The  commodore  ordered 
the  captain  of  the  “Eagle”  to  transport  us  to  the 
“Curlew,”  which  boat  happened  to  be  in  port. 
Slowly  the  did  “Eagle”  wore  round  and  stood  for  the 
“Curlew”  which  was  lying  at  one  of  the  wharves. 

“Goodness  gracious  !”  exclaimed  Tom,  as  he  threw 
his  bag  and  hammock  down  on  the  deck  of  the  “Cur- 
lew,” “I  have  heard  of  the  ‘wandering  Jew,’  but  what 


94  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

will  they  call  this  crowd,  if  we  keep  on  in  the  way  we 
have  begun  ?”  , ^ 

“When  you  write  a book  about  it,  Tom,”  said  I, 
“entitle  it  ‘The  Trials  and  Tribulations  of  the  New 
Draft.’” 

“Call  it  ‘Sudden  Changes  of  the  New  Draft,’”  sug- 
gested Tom. 

“Or  ‘The  Curlew’s  Bell,’”  said  Howes  Crowell,  as 
the  man  forward  struck  four  bells. 

At  this  juncture  we  were  told  to  hush  up  by  an  offi- 
cer who  evidently  wanted  to  show  his  authority. 
And — well,  we  hushed  up ; it  did  seem  as  if  fate 
were  against  us.  Here  we  had  been  knocking  about 
since  our  enlistment,  transported  from  one  boat  to 
another,  and  it  did  seem  to  me  that  we  were  never  to 
reach  our  abiding  place  on  board  the  “Louisiana;”  but 
the  “Curlew”  got  under  way  at  last,  and  we  all  looked 
forward  to  our  safe  arrival  at  Little  Washington,  where 
the  gun-boat  awaited  her  expected  recruits.  Nothing 
worthy  of  note  occurred  on  our  journey  up  Pamlico 
Sound,  and  about  nine  o’clock  in  the  evening  we  were 
steaming  up  Tar  River.  We  were  hailed  on  our  near 
approach  by  the  gun-boat  “Commodore  Hull,”  which 
was  lying  off  the  lower  end  of  the  town.  We  were 
ordered  to  heave  to  and  send  a boat  on  board,  which 
was  done  at  once  by  our  captain.  Upon  understanding 
our  captain’s  mission,  we  were  allowed  to  proceed.  The 


I 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


95 


shore  was  lit  up  with  the  camp  fires  of  our  soldiers, 

I 

and  tended  to  give  the  place  a weird  and  unearthly 
appearance  as  we  steamed  up  the  river.  The  stern 
realities  of  war  were  now  more  deeply  impressed  upon 

I 

me  than  ever  before.  Upon  nearing  our  destination, 
and  when  only  a few  fathoms  off,  we  were  hailed 
again  and  ordered  to  keep  off.  Our  ^captain  answered 
the  hail  and  informed  the  officer  that  it  was  the  “Cur- 
lew,” with  recruits  on  board  for  the  “Louisiana,”  upon 

/ 

hearing  which  we  were  ordered  to  come  up  alongside. 
Upon  going  on  board  the  “Louisiana,”  by  the  lights  of 
the  ship’s  lanterns,  the  gun-boat  presented  a sight  to 
our  uninitiated  eyes  of  extreme  disorder.  Sponges, 
rammers,  hand-spikes  and  hand-ropes  belonging  to  the 
guns  were  lying  promiscuously  about  the  deck,  all 
seeming  out  of  place ; but  instead,  to  the  eyes  of  the 
initiated,  everything  was  handy  to  the  touch  and  placed 
in  a position  for  use  with  the  utmost  regularity.  We 
made  our  way  over  all  to  the  starboard  side  of  the 
deck  of  the  “Louisiana,”  where  we  were  drawn,  up  in 
line  and  answered  to  our  names  as  the  lieutenant  called 
them  from  the  roll,  I hoped  for  the  last  time.  The 
sound  of  escaping  steam  from  the  “Curlew,”  the  fitful 
light  of  the  battle  lanterns  shining  on  the  faces  of  the 
“Louisiana’s”  crew,  who  were  crowded  in  between  the 
guns  on  the  port  and  starboard  side  of  the  deck,  the 
picket  fires  on  the  shore,  and  the  hoarse,  gruff  voice  of 


96 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


the  lieutenant  as  he  called  the  names,  made  it  altogether 
a most  impressive  scene,  and  for  the  first  time  since 
leaving  the  states  1 felt  homesick,  and  when  my  name 
was  called  I did  not  answer  with  the  energy  expected  ; 
consequently  it  was  called  again  in  a quicker  and 
sharper  tone  than  before.  I answered  with  a resound- 
ing ‘^Here,  sir.”  I was  admonished  by  the  officer  to 
keep  my  ears  open  in  the  future,  as  he  said  he  was  not 
in  the  habit  of  repeating  names  when  calling  the  roll. 
I felt  the  rebuke,  and  although  I did  not  like  his  cen- 
suring me  in  the  line  before  nearly  the  whole  ship’s 
company,  yet  it  taught  me  a lesson,  and  I did  not  have 
to  be  reprimanded  again  for  the  same  offence. 

Satisfied  that  we  were  all  accounted  for,  the  lieuten- 
ant turned  us  over  to  the  master-at-arms,  who  instructed 
us  where  to  swing  our  hammocks,  and  in  a short  time 
after  I was  fast  asleep  aboard  the  much-talked-of 


“Louisiana.” 


GHAPTCR  V, 


• 

HISTORY  OF  THE  LOUISIANA. 

Through  the  kindness  of  George  Hollis  of 
Boston,  formerly  master’s  mate  of  the  “Louis- 
iana,” I have  been  enabled  to  gather  information  to  form 
this  chapter  and  give  the  cruise  of  the  gun-boat  from 
the  time  she  went  into  commission,  up  to  the  time  of 
our  joining  her.  i 

The  “Louisiana”  before  the  rebellion  was  employed 
in  the  line  between  New  Orleans  and  Galveston  and 
went  into  commission  a few  days  after  the  first  battle 
of  Bull  Run.  She  carried  more  officers  than  were 
afterwards  allowed  for  such  a craft.  She  was  officered 
as  follows : Commander,  Alexander  Murray ; lieu- 
tenant, Alfred  H.  Hopkins  ; acting  masters.  Hooker, 
Furness,  and  Van  Slyck ; master’s  mates,  McKeever, 
and  George  H.  Hollis;  acting  paymaster,  Williams; 
cl^ief  engineer.  Lay  ; assistant  engineers,  McCartney, 
Daniels,  and  Huxley;  surgeon,  Bradley;  gunner, 
McDonald  ; carpenter.  Mills.  Hooker  was  a resident 
• of  Providence. 

The  “Louisiana”  put  out  to  sea  in  the  latter  part  of 
July,  1861,  or  early  in  August,  and  proceeded  directly 


98  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

I 

to  Fortress  Munroe,  to  support  the  frigate  “Savannah.” 
She  spent  most  of  the  summer  there,  doing  occasional 
scouting  and  picket  duty,  and  looking  sharply  after  the 
ram  “Merrimac,”  which  was  known  to  be  fitting  out  at 
Norfolk.  There,  the  “Lousiana”  had  her  first  "brush 
with  the  rebel  steamer  “Yorktown,”  which  came  down 
the  river  one  day  and  opened  fire  from  rifled  guns  on  the 
“Savannah,”  whose  guns  were  not  able  to  cope  with 
those  of  her  adversary’s,  being  all  smooth  bores.  As 
soon  as  she  was  discerned  coming  down  the  river,  the 
boatswain’s  mate  piped  all  hands  to  general  quarters, 
and  the  “Louisiana”  steamed  towards  the  “Yorktown,” 
to  give  her  battle.  When  within  easy  distance  the 
“Louisiana”  engaged  her  pretty  sharply  with  her 
little  Dahlgren  howitzer,  which  was  mounted  on  the 
forecastle  deck.  The  captain  of  this  particular  gun 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  crack  shots  in  the  navy, 
if  not  the  best  at  the  time. 

An  amusing  scene  occured  during  the  advance  toward 
the  enemy.  Only  one  gun  being  engaged,  Mr.  Hollis 
proposed  to  the  other  officers,  that  they  should  all  form 
in  a line  on  the  hurricane  deck  to  see  if  they  could 
stand  the  enemy’s  shot  and  shell  without  dodging  or 
ducking.  The  old  “Yorktown”  was  sending  the  shot 
*and  shell  pretty  lively,  and  although  some  fell'  short,  * 
as  she  closed  in  they  came  over  the  deck  in  close  prox- 
imity, but  not  a man  ducked.  Suddenly  a shell  burst 


/ 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


99 


close  under  the  port  bow,  and  deluged  the  gun’s  crew 
with  a perfect  shower  bath.  This  caused  one  of  the 
oflScers  to  jump  down,  on.  the  main  deck,  and  hasten 
towards  the  gun,  being  now  rapidly  handled,  and  it 
was  allowed  by  all  that  he  had  ducked.  But  there 
was  no  more  time  for  that  kind  of  fooling  however, 
and  they  engaged  the  enemy  with  all  the  guns  that 
could  be  brought  to  bear.  The  ‘‘Louisiana”  exchanged 
a number  of  shots  with  the  “Yorktown,”  striking  her 
hull  several  times  when,  finally,  the  latter  hauled  out  of 
range. 

After  doing  some  police  duty  in  the  various  rivers  in 
the  neighborhood  and  looking  sharp  after  any  stray  craft 
that  might  be  fitting  out  for  fight,  or  for  plunder,  she 
was  ordered  to  Chincateague  sound.  They  encountered 
heavy  weather  during  the  passage,  but  arrived  safe 
without  any  incident  whatever. 

Just  off  the  mouth  of  the  sound,  about  a mile  away, 
was  espied  a suspicious  looking  schooner  bearing  directly 
for  the  inlet  to  the  sound,  and  Commander  Murray 
immediately  gave  chase  to  her.  She  had  every  rag  set 
that  could  draw,  and  kept  as  close  in  shore  as  she  pos- 
sibly could  without  running  aground.  The  “Louis- 

\ 

iana”  was  gaining  on  her  very  fast,  and  the  commander 
ordered  the  pivot  gun  cleared  away  for  action  on  the 
forecastle  deck.  The  gun  was  trained  on  the  schooner, 
and  a shot  was  fired  across  her  bows  for  her  to  heave 


\ 


100 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


to.  But  she  kept  on,  and  paid  no  attention  to  it,  and 
her  speed  seemed  to  increase.  “Give  it  to  her,  boys,” 
said  the  commander,  and  they  opened  fire  on  her  with  the 
long  thirty-two  pounder.  So  eager  was  the  captain  to 
wing  her  that  he  ran  too  closely  in  shore,  and  the  next 
he  knew  the  “Louisiana”  was  hard  and  fast  aground, 
and  the  prize  so  nearly  in  his  grasp,  as  he  thought, 
sailed  saucily  away,  while  the  Louisiana  remained  for 
several  days  stuck  in  the  mud.  The  captain  was  event- 
ually compelled  to  send  to  Baltimore  for  wreckers  to 
come  down  with  tackle  and  get  them  out  of  their  scrape. 
While  in  this  situation  Commander  Murray  ordered  out 
a boat  expedition  to  chase,  and  if  possible  to  destroy 
the  vessel  they  had  been  in  pursuit  of.  She  lay  four 
or  five  miles  away  from  their  position,  having  come  to 
an  anchor  pretty  near  the  shore,  which  was  bounded  by 
a rail  fence,  lined  with  bushes  and  reeds.  The  attack- 
ing party  were  ordered  to  divide,  one  portion  to  go 
outside,  and  the  other  between  the  vessel  and  the  shore. 
The  boats  lay  alongside,  fully  manned,  and  only  wait- 
ing for  orders  from  the  oflScer  in  command.  Soon  the 
order  came,  “Give  way,  men,”  and  the  oars  flashed  in 
in  the  sunlight  as  they  emerged  from  the  water  under 
the  sharp,  quick  strokes  of  the  crew.  The  inshore 
party  had  the  lead,  and  were  nearing  the  schooner  at 
every  stroke  of  their  oars,  when  suddenly,  from  the 
bushes  and  reeds  lining  the  shore,  came  a volley  of 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


101 


musketry,  followed  by  another  from  the  rebs  lying  in 
ambush.  ‘‘Oars,”  came  the  command.  “Toss,”  was 
the  next  order,  and  the  crew  quickly  laid  in  their  oars, 
grasped  their  arms,  and  gave  the  rebs  an  answering 
volley  from  their  Sharpe’s  rifles.  The  firing  became 
hot  on  both  sides,  and  the  schooner  also  opened  fire  on 
the  other  boat  with  grape  and  canister  from  a smooth 
bore  that  had  before  been  hidden  from  view  by  the  bunt 
of  the  mainsail.  The  rebs  had  the  advantage,  however, 
and  after  some  sharp  fighting  on  both  sides,  the  boats 
sullenly  backed  water,  firing  as  they  retreated  from  the 
dangerous  ambush.  Hooker,  one  of  the  officers  in 
command  of  the  inshore  party,  was  the  only  one  seri- 
ously wounded,  a shot  passing  through  his  lungs,  mak- 
ing a hole  right  through  him. 

After  exchanging  a few  more  shots,  the  boats  all 
hauled  out  of  range  and  returned  to  the  gun-boat,  and 
the  vessel  escaped  up  the  river  shortly  afterwards.  On 
the  return  to  the  gun -boat,  master’s  mate  Hollis  ex- 
tended a hand  to  help  Mr.  Hooker  up  the  side,  when 
he  exclaimed : “Oh,  help  some  one  that  needs  it  more 
than  I do ; I’m  all  right.”  Mr.  Hooker  recovered 
from  his  injury  and  returned  to  the  “Louisiana”  a few 
months  after.  It  was  several  days  after  the  arrival  of 
the  wreckers  before  the  “Louisiana”  was  extricated 
from  her  sitation  in  the  mud.  As  soon  as  she  was,  she 
steamed  up  to  the  island  and  came  to  an  anchor.'  The 


102 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


island  was  overrun  with  bushwhackers,  but  in  a few 
days  after  the  steamer  arrived , Commander  Murray  had 
things  put  in  order,  and  gave  permission  to  open  trade. 
When  the  first  vessel  arrived  from  Philadelphia  she 
brought  some  barrels  of  rum  for  Mrs.  Adams,  who 
kept  the  only  public  house  at  that  time  on  the  island, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  the  population  became  aware 
of  the  arrival  of  the  spirits,  for  in  a day  or  two  they 
came  into  town  with  all  sorts  of  vessels  to  hold  the 
liquor.  From  the  position  held  by  the  “Louisiana’^ 
all  that  took  place  at  the  landing  could  be  distinctly  ob- 
served by  the  officers  and  crew.  A jolly  time  began 
when  the  first  barrel  was  tapped,  but  it  was  not  long 
before  all  who  had  partaken  of  the  contents  were  to  be 
seen  with  their  hands  on  their  stomachs  vomiting  and 
retching  dreadfully.  W ord  went  forth  that  the  Yankees 
had  poisoned  the  rum.  The  scene  on  shore  was  in- 
describably funny.  Mr.  Bradley,  the  ‘‘Louisiana’s” 
surgeon,  was  sent  for  in  hot  haste.  Upon  investigating 
the  matter  it  turned  out  that  the  crew  of  the  schooner, 
during  her  passage  from  Philadelphia,  had  rifled  the 
barrel  of  half  its  contents  and  made  the  deficiency 
good,  or  rather,  bad,  by  additions  of  salt  water,  hence 
the  trouble. 

In  a few  days  orders  came  for  the  “Louisiana”  to 
proceed  to  Baltimore  to  refit  for  the  Burnside  expedition. 
Arriving  there,  she  took  in  a heavier  battery,  then 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


.103 


steamed  for  Fortress  Monroe,  where  she  joined  the 
fleet  destined  for  the  expedition.  Tliey  encountered  a 
heavy  storm  off  Hatteras  Inlet,  and  the  scene  there 
beggars  description.  There  were  about  one  hundred 
vessels  at  the  rendezvous  in  the  inlet,  some  of  which 
were  lying  at  anchor  over  the  bar.  Steamers  ran  afoul 
of  each  other  for  want  of  room  ; others  dragged  their 
anchors  and  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves. 
The  ‘‘Eastern  Queen  ” was  driven  on  shore  by  the  fury 
of  the  fjale.  The  elegant  steamer  “New  York’^ 

stranded  on  the  beach  and  went  to  pieces.  The  gun« 

% 

boat  “Zouvae”  went  down  and  was  a total  loss.  The 

“Pocahontas”  was  beached  some  miles  north  of  Hat- 

i 

teras  light.  The  soldiers  and  sailors  suffered  greatly 
for  want  of  fresh  water  and  food.  But  all  throusrh 
this  mighty  war  of  the  elements.  General  Burnside, 
the  leader  of  the  seemingly  doomed  expedition,  was 
outwardly  calm,  though  there  must  have  been  a terrible 
storm  raging  within  the  bosom  of  that  brave  man  as  Ins 

quick  eye  took  in  the  terrible  situation  of  his  followers 

* 

and  the  apparently  doomed  vessels.  It  is  said  that  he 
seemed  to  be  in  all  places  where  most  needed,  and  his 
sharp,  quick  orders  to  the  officers  brought  safety  out  of 
what  seemed  utter  chaos.  It  is  only  necessary  now  to  say 

I 

that  the  “Louisiana”  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  ex- 
8 


1 


104 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


pedition  and  took  part  in  the  battles  of  New  Berne, 
Roanoke  and  Elizabeth  City. 

At  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island  she  received  a ninety- 
pound  shot  from  the  enemy’s  battery,  which  struck  her 
port  bow  just  above  the  water  line,  crushing  its  way 
through  her  half-inch  iron  sides  into  the  chain  locker, 
cutting  and  twisting  into  all  manner  of  shapes  a coil  of 
chain  cable  which  was  coiled  up  in  the  locker,  then 
continuing  its  course  through  the  bulkhead,  cut  off  two 
large  stanchions,  traversed  the  length  of  the  berth 
deck  through  the  bulkhead,  aft,  passed  over  the 
magazine,  cutting  away  two  more  stanchions,  and 
finally  lodged  and  burst  in  the  coal-bunker  aft.  The 
hatches  were  battened  down  at  the  time,  the  steamer 
being  in  fighting  trim,  though  not  taking  any  active 
part  in  the  engagement.  Several  of  the  crew  were 
sitting  on  the  hatches  when  the  shell  burst  in  the 
bunker.  It  forced  the  hatches  off  and  spilled  the  men 

I 

in  all  directions  upon  the  deck.  For  a moment  the 
magazine  was  thought  to  have  been  blown  up,  but  as  the 
startled  seamen  came  to  their  senses  and  discovered  the 
cause,  their  fears  were  turned  to  laughter,  so  accustomed 
does  one  become  to  danger  at  such  times. 

A detailed  account  of  the  part  that  the  “Louisiana” 
took  in  the  capture  of  Elizabeth  City,  may  be  of  interest 
to  the  reader.  The  Sunday  morning  preceding  the 
attack.  Commodore  Lynch,  the  flag-officer  of  the  rebel 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


105 


fleet,  left  his  steamer,  leaving  word  that  if  he  did  not 

I 

return,  his  men  were  to  flght  as  long  as  possible,  and 
in  the  event  of  probable  capture,  destroy  the  steamer 
so  it  should  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Union  forces. 
Nothing  being  seen  of  him  after  that,  it  was  supposed 
that  he  went  up  the  canal  in  a steamer  which  left  that 
evening,  and  the  rebel  prisoners  were  loud  in  their 
denunciation  of  him.  His  naval  cocked  hat,  trimmed 
with  much  gold  lace,  Mr.  Hollis  says,  he  saw  aboard 
the  gun-boat  “Lockwood,”  and  the  crew  were  taking 
particular  pains  in  drying  and  pressing  it — for  it  had 
by  some  chance  got  wet — in  anticipation  of  his  calling 
for  it  at 'some  future  day.  Monday  morning  at  about 
seven  o’clock,  the  “Louisiana”  got  under  way  with  the 
rest  of  the  steamers  of  various  kinds,  and  soon  came 
in  sight  of  the  fleet,  consisting  of  a dozen  of  other 
steamers,  but  could  distinguish  no  batteries  up  the 
river.  A schooner  was  observed  on  the  right  hand 
shore,  but  no  attention  was  paid  to  her  at  the  time. 
About  8.30  o’clock  the  rebel  steamers  opened  Are  on 
the  Yankee  fleet,  and  in  a few  minutes  after,  a battery 
of  four  guns,  on  the  left  bank,  heretofore  concealed, 
opened  on  our  fleet,  as  also  did  the  schooner  just, 
referred  to.  She  mounted  four  guns  and  used  them 
right  smartly.  The  battery  was  erected  on  a small 
point  of  land,  and  was  hidden  from  view  by  a clump  of 
trees  until  the  fleet  was  within  range,  when  suddenly. 


106 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


they  opened  a scathing  fire  on  them.  Shot  and 

\ 

shell  were  making  music  around,  and  the  chances 
appeared  that  the  fleet  were  to  experience  a much 
warmer  reception  than  was  anticipated,  but  they  went 
right  ahead.  The  Union  vessels  were  so  crowded 
together  that  it  was  not  only  a difficult  matter  for  them 
to  fire  clear  of  each  other,  but  in  addition,  the  crowd- 
ing made  them  an  excellent  target  for  the  rebel  gun- 
ners. Their  firing  was  none  of  the  best,  however, 
and  although  many  of  their  shots  and  shells  passed 
over  and  around,  the  ‘‘Louisiana”  was  not  struck. 
The  river  at  tlie  point  before  mentioned,  was  not  more 

I 

than  three  hundred  or  four  hundred  yards  wide,  and  one 
may  easily  imagine  what  a jam  the  fleet  was  in  ; indeed, 
so  mixed  were  the  Union  forces  with  the  rebel  fleet 
that  one  could  hardly  distinguish  friend  from  foe. 
Fifteen  minutes  after  the  first  gun  was  fired,  the  action 
became  general.  Wherever  a rebel  steamer  showed 
up  out  of  the  smoke,  that  hung  like  a pall  over  all  alike, 
there  our  gunners  sent  in  their  com[)liments  of  shot, 
grape,  and  cannister.  In  less  than  one  hour  this 
heated  contest  was  over,  leaving  our  forces  master  of 
the  river.  The  schooner  on  the  right,  that  had  proved 
herself  no  mean  contestant,  was  fired  by  her  crew, 
before  abandoning  her,  as  was  also  the  steamer 
“Fanny.”  The  “Forrest,”  and  the  steamer  “Ellis” 
were  ca[)tured.  The  “Appomattox,”  the  “Raleigh,” 


4» 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


107 


and  the  “Beaufort”  escaped  by  the  canal.  After  the 
engagement,  some  of  our  gun-boats  steamed  up  to  the 
city,  which  was  situated  only  a short  distance  up  the 
river,  and  those  who  went  on  shore  were  much  [)leased 
with  its  appearance.  Several  substantial  edifices  and 
three  churches  met  their  gaze  on  landing.  The  town 
was  found  to  be  nearly  deserted  by  all  its  population, 
they  having  fled  upon  the  near  approach  of  the  Union 
forces.  But  one  white  man  came  down  to  the  wharf  to 
meet  the  commodore,  and  he  claimed  that  he  was  a 
minister  and  a loyal  man.  The  contrabands  were 
around  as  usual,  and  came  forth  from  every  conceivable 
hiding  place,  as  the  “Louisiana”  made  fast  to  the  wharf, 
and  greeted  the  officers  and  crew  with  frequent  ejacula- 
tions, as  they  landed. 

“De  Yanks  am  come  ; bress  de  Lord,”  one  old  negro 
exclaimed;  “git  right  down  on  yer  knees,  bred’ren, 
and  bress  de  Almighty  dat  hab  sent  dese  yer  Yanks  to 
deliber  us  out  ob  de  bonds*  ob  slabery.”  “Amen! 
bress  de  Lord,”  came  the  response  from  his  sable  breth- 
ren. Then  they^  danced  and  shouted  and  cut  up  all 
manner  of  antics,  to  the  unbounded  delight  of  the  crew 
of  the  “Louisiana,”  who  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion  and  joined  fervently  in  the  “amen.” 

From  street  to  street,  through  the  lanes  and  the  by- 
ways, the  soldiers  and  sailors  hurried  in  quest  of  for- 
age, while  the  contrabands  were  only  too  eager  to  put 


108  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  A SAILOR  BOY. 

them  on  the  right  track  to  plunder  that  which  had  been 
hidden  by  their  late  masters  before  their  flight.  In  this 
way  many  articles  of  value,  without  doubt  found  their 
way  into  the  pockets  of  those  seeking  for  such.  Quan- 
tities of  fresh  beef,  pork  and  flour,  which  the  rebs  had 
left  in  their  flight,  were  found.  It  was  an  amusing 
si^ht  to  see  the  crew  come  over  the  side  of  the  ^un-boat 
on  their  return,  some  with  huge  bags  of  flour  on  their 
shoulders.  At  .the  close  of  their  labors  each  might  have 
been  very  appropriately  called  ‘‘The  flour  of  the  navy.” 
It  was  sad  to  contemplate  the  many  families  leaving 
their  homes,  to  suffer  privation,  starvation,  and  possi- 
bly even  death  in  some  instances,  in  their  infatuation 
to  follow  the  fortunes  of  the  confederacy,  rather  than  to  . 
remain  and  be  under  any  restraint  from  the  hated  Yan- 
kees. A rebel  midshipman  who  was  wounded  during 
the  action  died  on  board  one  of  our  steamers  and  was 
buried  on  shore.  A flag  of  truce  came  down  the  river 
a short  time  afterwards,  the  bearers  of  which  came  in 
search  of  his  remains.  A rebel  captain  was  also  killed, 
and  another  rebel  was  literally  blown  to  pieces  by  the 
premature  discharge  of  one  of  the  guns. 

February  13,  the  “Louisiana”  steamed  up  the  sound 
in  company  with  the  gun-boats  “Underwriter,”  Lock- 
wood,”  and  “Perry.”  During  the  night  they  captured 
a schooner  laden  with  corn  ; then  continuing  their 
course  they  arrived  early  in  the  morning  at  Edenton, 


\ 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  109 

a beautiful  place  containing  very  many  fine  houses 
with  the  grounds  tastefully  laid  out.  At  first  only  the 
contrabands  came  down  to  the  wharf  to  greet  them,  but 
soon  quite  a number  of  the  white  population  came  and 
received  them  kindly.  A vessel  intended  for  a gun-boat 
was  on  the  ways  in  the  ship  yard,  left  by  the  rebs,  and 
she  was  destroyed.  The  crew  soon  started  a lively 
trade  in  eggs  and  poultry,  exchanging  in  barter,  tobacco 
and  cast-off  blue  fiannel  shirts.  One  gentleman,  whose 
former  residence  was  in  Philadelphia,  was  very  anxious 
to  get  north,  and  Mr.  Hollis  agreed  to  take  him  in  his 
riiess,  with  the  consent  of  the  captain,  which  was  easily 
obtained,  and  for  the  time  being  he  became  one  of  the 
family. 

The  contrabands  came  around  in  their  canoes  in 
swarms,  and  in  every  imaginable  way  manifested  their 
joy  at  the  arrival  of  the  Yankees  among  them.  There 
was  not  much  pleasure  in  strolling  about  the  town,  for 
only  deserted  houses  and  ruins  of  pleasant  homes  met 
the  eyes. 

The  contrabands  had  taken  possession  of  many  of  the 
houses  in  the  absence  of  their  masters,  and  already  some 
of  the  most  intelligent  ones  had  begun  to  put  on  airs  at 
their  surroundings.  Such  is  life. 

Edenton  is  the  capital  of  Chowan  County,  North 
Carolina.  It  is  on  an  inlet  or  bay  that  opens  into  Albe- 
marle Sound,  and  had  a population  of  about  one  thou- 


/ 


110 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


sand  before  the  war.  The  water  of  the  sound  is  of  a 
tawny  yellow,  and  has  a very  peculiar  appearance  in 
the  light  of  the  sun.  The  water  at  Elizabeth  City  was 
of  a fine  claret  color.  It  is  known  as  the  famous  juni- 
per water,  which  flows  from  the  Dismal  Swamp,  and  is 
said  to  be  the  finest  water  in  the  world.  Many  whaling 
ships,  and  other  vessels  starting  upon  long  voyages,  are 
glad  to  procure  this  water,  and  come  long  distances  in 
order  to  obtain  it,  as  it  will  keep  an  indefinite  time 
and  retain  its  sweetness. 

After  a short  stay  in  Edenton,  the  ^‘Louisiana,”  in 
company  with  the  other  gun-boats,  steamed  away, 
direct  for  Little  Washington,  and  arrived  there  with- 
out any  incident  worthy  of  mention.  The  rebs  evacu- 
ated the  town  on  the  approach  of  our  forces,  thereby 
saving  much  bloodshed.  The  gun-boats  bobbed  over 
the  piles  driven  into  the  bed  of  the  river  by  the  rebs, 
(the  tops  of  these  piles  were  about  three  feet  under 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  were  intended  to  impede 
the  progress  of  the  Union  fleet  up  the  river,)  and 
then  steamed  up  abreast  of  the  town.  The  “Louisiana” 
moored  with  her  bow  fast  to  the  long  bridge,  extending 
from  the  town  side  to  the  woods  opposite.  The  con- 
trabands flocked  in  crowds  to  the  wharf  opposite  the 
gun-boats,  and  with  exclamations  of  delight  warmly 
greeted  the  officers  and  crews.  Clapping  hands,  they 
danced  and  whirled  each  other  round  and  round  on  the 


Jf  . 

■ 

'■  J 

<■ 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  Ill 

wharf,  keeping  time  all  the  while  to  half  a hundred 
musical  but  untrained  voices  as  they  sang  their  negro 
melodies.  It  appeared  as  if  they  would  go  wild  with 
joy ; they  could  not  contain  their  feelings  apparently. 
At  times,  several  of  them  would  dart  out  from  the  main 
throng  and  rush  down  to  the  edge  of  the  wharf  and 
shout  themselves  hoarse,  uttering  all  manner  of  ex- 
pressions, most  prominent  of  which  would  be  heard 
. ‘^Bress  yer  out  dar  ! Glory  to  God!  We’s  free,  amen  !” 
Then  after  gesticulating  wildly  for  a few  moments  they 
w^ould  rush  excitedly  back  and  join  again  in  the  dance. 

Meanwhile  on  board  the  “Louisiana,”  despite  the 
discipline  of  the  ship,  the  crew  left  off  work  and 
crowded  to  th’e  rail  on  the  port  side  and  mingled  their 
ejaculations  with  those  of  the  contrabands.  Altogether 
it  was  an  indescribably  funny  scene,  and  baffles 
any  power  of  description.  A few  whites  could 
be  seen  mixed  among  the  contrabands,  and  more 
were  seen  in  the  main  street  of  the  town.  Calling 
away  the  gig  and  the  second  cutter,  also  the  launch, 
with  a crew  to  man  her.  Commander  Murray  pro- 
ceeded to  land  at  one  of  the  wharves.  He  was  met 
with  every  expression  of  pleasure,  while  tears  flowed 
down  the  cheeks  of  the  dusky  sons  and  daughters  of 
Ham  in  the  fulness  of  their  joy.  A few  of  the  whites 
came  forward  and  shook  hands  with  Mr.  Murray,  and 
expressed  themselves  as  being  very  happy  to  witness 


I 


112 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


the  old  flag  once  again  waving  in  Washington,  and 

I 

vowed  themselves  true  Union  men.  Commander  Mur- 
ray led  the  way  to  the  main  street,  followed  by  the 
negroes  and  what  few  whites  there  were.  In  the  mean- 
time other  boats  had  arrived,  and  the  soldiers  landed 
and  took  formal  possession  of  the  place.  Thus  Little 
Washington  was  once  again  wearing  the  appearance  of 
being  inhabited  by  a lively  and  thrifty  people.  Upon 
evacuating  the  town,  the  rebels  had  set  fire  to  and 
destroyed  some  few  buildings  which  contained  stores. 
They  also  destroyed  a great  quantity  of  tar  and  tur- 
pentine. The  town  showed  evidence  of  the  rebels’ 
hasty  departure,  for  numerous  articles  lay  around,  all 
of  which  the  contrabands  had  not  gathered  in,  but  upon 
seeing  the  soldiers  and  sailors  picking  them  up,  they 
too  went  to  work,  and  very  soon  not  so  much  as  even 
an  old  shoe  could  be  found.  Fires  were  still  smoulder- 
ing in  different  parts  of  the  town  and  among  the  tar 
barrels  on  the  whaves.  The  rebels  had  endeavored  to 
destroy  the  bridge  by  placing  barrels  of  tar  the  whole 
length  of  the  structure  and  setting  them  on  fire,  but  in 
their  extreme  haste  to  leave  the  place  they  were  not 
particular  enough  in  touching  the  torch,  consequently 
they  were  too  far  apart  and  did  not  readily  ignite  one 
with  the  other.  Tliey  were  all  extinguished  by  the 
loyal  North  Carolina  men  assisted  by  the  contrabands. 
The  smoke  from  the  burning  tar  and  pitch  penetrated 


RECOLLECTIONS  OE  A SAILOR  OY.  113 

I 

every  nook  and  corner,  and  the  odor  from  the  same 
impregnated  every  open  house  in  the  town.  Dr.  Bradly 

I 

observed  that  the  smell  of  tar  was  very  healthful  and 
was  used  sometimes  in  fumigating  hospitals.  One  of 
the  officers  replied  that  they  ought  to  be  a very  healthy 
lot  then  for  the  next  six  months  from  the  amount  of 
tar  smoke  they  had  all  inhaled. 

A number  of  prominent  rebels’  houses  were  visited, 
but  everything  of  value  had  been  taken  away,  and 
what  remained  had  been  so  nearly  destroyed  as  to  be 
unfit  for  the  Yankees  to  use,  even  had  they  wished  to 
do  so.  The  day  was  nearly  used  up  in  looking  over 
the  town  and  putting  things  to  rights.  The  following 

I , 

day  and  many  others  were  devoted  to  removing  the 
obstructions  in  the  river,  consisting  of  schooners,  etc., 
laden  with  stones  and  sunk  in  a row  across  the  channel. 
Ah,  me,  useless  work  on  the  part  of  the  Johnnies,  for 
who  ever  knew  of  a blockade  of  any  description  that 
could  for  any  great  length  of  time  impede  our  enter- 
prising Yankees?  For  thorough  gd-aheads  they  are 
more  than  the  equal  of  any  nation  upon  the  face  of  the 
globe. 


I 


GRAPTER  VI. 

♦— 

OUR  FIRST  DAY  ON  THE  LOUISIANA. 

1 AWOKE  next  morning  before  it  was  time  for  the 
boatswain’s  mate  to  pipe  the  crew  on  deck,  and  lying 
in  my  hammock,  viewed  the  situation.  The  hammocks 
were  hung  very  closely  together,  so  closely  in  fact, 
that  when  one  occupant  in  the  middle,  or  between  two 
other  hammocks,  got  out,  the  hammock  would  close  up 
like  a jack  knife,  from  the  pressure  of  the  neighboring 
hammocks.  Away  forward  I could  distinguish  the 
daylight  shining  down  the  open  hatchway.  On  the 
port  and  starboard  sides  the  mess  chest  and  hard-tack 
bags  were  placed,  with  intervals  between.  I appeared 
to  be  the  only  one  awake  on  the  berth  deck.  ' All  was 
quiet  except  the  tread  of  the  man  on  the  look-out,  on 
the  up[)er  deck,  and  the  hard  breathing,  with  snoring 
at  times  from  the  crew  around  me.  I felt  a delicious 
sense  of  quiet  prevade  my  system  as  I lay  in  the  ham- 
mock. I thought  of  my  home,  so  far  away,  and  called 
to  rnind  the  familiar  faces  as  I last  saw  them  on  my 
departure,  and  hoped  in  my  heart  that  I should  be 
spared  to  meet  them  all  again.  My  thoughts  were 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


115 


rudely  intruded  upon  by  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  boat- 
swain’s mate,  piping  the  crew  with  their  hammocks  on 
deck;  In  a twinkling  the  berth  deck  was  alive  with  a 
hundred  human  beings,  all  busily  intent  upon  dressing 
and  lashing  up  their  hammocks,  preparatory  to  convey- 
ing them  on  the  hurricane  deck,  to  stow  them  in  the 
netting.  At  the  first  note  of  the  pipe  I worked 
myself  out  of  the  hammock,  for  as  I have  said  before, 
they  were  swung  ver}^  near  together,  and  hastily  dress- 
ing myself,  I showed  my  new  mess-mates  that  I was 
no  greenhorn,  as  far  as  lashing  a hammock  was  con- 
cerned, and  I noticed  that  Tom  was  not  far  behind, 
either.  Tom  and  1 were  not  the  last  to  get  our  ham- 
mocks in  the  netting,  by  a long  shot.^ 

The  morning  was  beautiful,  and  the  sky  was  clear, 
the  rays  of  the  sun  were  just  showing  in  the  eastern  hori- 
zon, and  we  all  turned  to,  to  take  in  the  boarding  netting, 
which  was  put  up  every  night  to  impede  the  enemy,  in 
case  they  attacked  us  while  we  slept.  After  stowing 
the  netting,  we  were  kept  busy  for  another  hour  wash- 
ing the  decks,  coiling  the  ropes  beside  the  guns,  replac- 
* 

ing  sponges,  rammers  and  handspikes,  and  otherwise 
making  the  gun-boat  look  orderly  and  respectable.  I 
soon  got  the  hang  of  things  on  board,  and  before  the 
breakfast  call,  I was  up  in  all  but  drilling.  As  for  the 
different  calls  I understood  them  quite  as  well  as  some 
of  the  older  hands  on  board. 


116  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

Partaking  of  our  first  breakfast  on  board  the 
‘‘Louisiana”  we  necessarily  had  to  undergo  consider- 
able chaffing  from  the  crew,  they  thinking,  no  doubt, 
that  because  we  were  fresh  from  home,  they  could  use 
us  with  impunity,  and  chaff  us  to  their  hearts  content, 
without  any  retaliation  on  our  part ; but  they  found  out 
their  mistake,  for  they  could  not  hold  a candle  to  some 
of  the  new  draft,  who  were  up  to  all  the  tricks,  and  had 
seen  more  life  aboard  ship,  than  usually  falls  to  the  lot 
of  new  recruits  but  three  months  out.  Breakfast  being 
over  we  were  called  to  muster — the  new  draft — on  the 
deck  with  our  clothes  bags.  Arriving  there  we  were 
ordered  to  form  in  line  on  the  starboard  sWe  of  the 
gunboat  and  loosen  the  mouths  of  the  bags  so  that  the 
contents  could  be  examined  by  an  officer  going  the 
rounds  for  that  purpose.  Of  course  our  clothes  were 
not  in  the  neatest  condition,  but  then  they  would  com- 
pare favorably  with  those  of  the  “Louisiana’s”  crew", 
and  but  few  of  us  needed  new.  Those  who  did  were 
informed  by  the  officer  that  they  could  draw  on  the 
ship  for  what  they  needed.  Finally  our  bags  were  set 
on  one  side,  and  we  were  assigned  our  places  on  the 
ship  and  at  the  guns.  This  being  done,  I told  Tom  that 
I considered  myself  out  of  the  draft,  and  instead,  one  of 
the  regular  crew  of  the  United  States  gun-boat 
“Louisiana.” 

That  the  reader  may  have  some  idea  of  what  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


117 


duties  are  on  board  a gun-boat,  I will  give  them  a gen- 
eral synopsis  of  the  duties  and  stations,  leaving  out 
what  the  reader  already  knows.  In  the  first  place  each 
gun  is  manned  by  a double  set  of  men  ; nine  men  in 
all.  There  are  a first  and  second  captain,  two  men  at 
the  sponge  and  rammer  on  the  heaviest  guns,  first  and 
second  shotman,  first  and  second  hand-spikeman,  and 
last,  but  not  least,  the  powder-monkey.  Then  there  is 
the  fire  drill ; each  man  has  his  appointed  station  ; the 

pumpman,  breakman,  hoseman,  bellman  and  men  with 

\ 

fire  buckets.  There  is  a captain  of  the  top,  a captain 
of  the  hold,  and  a captain  of  the  gig,  coxswain,  etc. 
Besides  the  drill  at  the  heavy  guns,  we  were  made  to 
drill  with  small  arms,  Sharpe’s  rifles,  the  cutlass  drill, 
and  drill  at  short  sticks.  Men  were  told  off  to  board 
and  repel  an  imaginary  enemy.  During  this  interest- 
ing drill,  the  crew  are  called  to  quarters  armed  with 
cutlasses,  boarding  pikes  and  hand  grenades.  The 
boarding  netting  is  let  down  and  made  fast  to  the  gun- 
wale of  the  boat  completely  encircling  the  ship  with  a 
net-work  of  ropes  nearly  six  feet  high  ; behind  this  net- 
ting the  crew  dispose  themselves  with  cutlasses  and 
pikes.  With  these  weapons  they  make  thrusts  at  the 
imaginary  enemy,  who  is  supposed  to  be  trying  to 
climb  over  the  side  of  the  ship.  For  the  first  week 
after  our  arrival  we  were  kept  busy  at  these  different 
drills  twice  each  day,  or  until  we  had  become  proficient 


118 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


in  all.  After  that  we  drilled  twice  a week,  and  some- 
times only  once  a week  were  we  called  upon  to  drill. 
, We  had  been  on  board  the  ‘ ‘Louisiana”  now  two  weeks . 
I had  written  several  letters  home  and  to  my  friends, 

p 

and  was  anxiously  expecting  a reply  to  some  of  them. 
What  with  drilling  and  sewing — yes,  sewing,  for  I had 
bought  some  blue  flannel,  running  into  debt  to  the  ship 
for  it,  of  course,  and  Mr.  Quinn,  the  boatswain, 
instructed  me  how  to  cut  and  make  up  a sailor’s  shirt — 
there  was  a deal  of  work  for  our  men  on  shore.  Sev- 
eral of  our  crew  could  use  carpenters’  tools  with  advan- 
tage, and  these  with  the  carpenter’s  mate,^r.  Kelley, 
went  on  shore  every  day  to  work.  Mr.  Mills,  the  car- 
penter, had  the  oversight  of  all  work  being  done  in  that 
line.  I was  expecting  him  to  put  me  in  the  gang, 
as  it  was  known  on  board  that  I was  a wheel-wright. 
We  received  news  from  Chesapeake  Bay  of  the  attack 
on  the  “Cumberland,”  the  “Minnesota,”  and  the  “Con- 
gress,” and  the  sinking  of  the  first-mentioned  vessel, 
with  the  loss  of  |)art  of  her  crew,  with  sorrow,  and 
regret  that  we  could  not  have  been  present  to  take  a 
part  in  the  action.  But  when  it  came  to  the  little 
‘‘Monitor”  coming  up  the  river  and  whipping  the  “Mer- 
rimac,”  I could  hardly  restrain  myself  from  giving  vent 
to  my  feelings  in  cheers.  The  army  of  the  Potomac, 
too,  was  dealing  death-blows  to  the  confederacy,  and 
musingly  1 thought  we  were  playing  a rather  insignifi- 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  119 

cant  part  in  the  great  drama,  and  spoke  my  thoughts 
freely  to  Tom,  who  was  busily  engaged  in  learning  to 
tie  a bowline  while  seated  on  the  deck  beside  me. 

“Just  you  hold  on,  Steve;  we  will  see  fighting 
enough  yet.  Why  ! didn’t  Commander  Renshaw  say 
only  the  other  day,  that  we  must  prepare  for  an  attack 
either  by  land  or  water,  which  was  likely  to  take  place 
any  day  ? And  didn’t  he  say  that  they  were  building  a 
ram  up  at  Greenville  ! I shouldn’t  wonder  if  we  were 
sent  up  the  river  soon  on  a reconnoissance.” 

“Well,  Tom,  I want  to  be  counted  in  that  expedition, 
if  Renshaw  concludes  to  send  one,  and  sees  the  neces- 
sity for  so  doing.” 

“And  I am  with  ye,  Steve,  for  I do  want  to  see 
some  fun,  let  it  be  fighting,  or  otherwise,”  said  Tom, 
and  he  threw  his  ropes  on  one  side  on  the  deck,  and 
spread  himself  for  a nap. 

I was  buisily  sewing  away  on  my  garment,  a few 
minutes  after  this  conversation,  when  there  came  a cry 
from  forward  that  made  my  heart  leap  into  my  throat, 
so  to  speak  : ‘ ‘ The  mail  boat ! the  mail  boat ! ” 

Quickly  putting  my  work  on  one  side,  I sprang  to  my 
feet,  and  rushed  forward  to  see  for  myself.  Yes,  there 
she  was  sure  enough,  just  off  Rodman  point,  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  town.  We  watched  her  as  she 
slowly  steamed  towards  us  and  the  wharf,  and  I thought 


9 


/ 


120 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


of  the  precious  sealed  envelopes  in  her  mail  bags,  that 
were  to  lighten  many  hearts  on  the  “Louisiana,”  and  I 
counted  myself  in  for  a share  of  the  news  concealed 
therein.  In  few  minutes  she  was  up  with  the  wharf  and 
was  making  fast.  Tom,  who  had  now  joined  the  throng^ 
of  sailors  on  the  forecastle  deck,  seemed  to  be  the  most 
excited  individual  in  the  crowd,  although  I could  hardly 
restrain  my  own  feelings,  as  Tom  shouted  out, “Hurrah, 
boys  ! here  she  comes  walking  right  up  to  the  wharf 
as  if  she  were  a living  creature.  If  I don’t  have  a 
letter  this  time,  I shall  burst,  I know  I shall.” 

We  all  laughed  at  Tom’s  funny  speech,  and  more 
funny  sayings,  for  it  had  come  to  be  pretty  well  under- 
derstood  on  board  by  the  crew,  that  when  they  wanted 
a little  harmless  fun  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  get 
Tom  started,  and  from  the  quietest  of  sailor  boys, 
we  became  in  a few  moments  the  most  uproarious 
ones,  and  only  ceased  our  sport  when  the  officer  of 
the  deck  sent  an  order  for  us  to,  “Cease  that  racket 
forward.”  We  chose  the  time  for  such  fun  when 
Commander  Renshaw,  and  our  executive  officer,  Mr. 
Westervelt,  were  on  shore,  and  the  master’s  mate, 
McKeever,  or  some  other  officer  was  in  command,  as 
the  officers,  as  a general  thing,  liked  to  see  a little  fun 
going  on  among  us,  as  it  tended  to  relieve  the  monotony 
of  life  on  board  ship,  and  they  would  wink  at  it,  until 
we  became  so  noisy  that  it  was  necessary  for  man-of- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


121 


war  (licjcipline  to  put  a stop  to  it,  which  would  be  most 
effectually  done  by  a few  soft  notes  from  the  boat- 

V 

swain’s  silver  whistle. 

Just  before  the  mail  boat  made  fast  to  the  wharf 
with  her  stern  line,  the  boatswain’s  mate  piped  the  dingy 
to  w and  fetch  the  mail,  if  any,  and  as  we  heard 
the  welcome  sound,  ^‘Away  the  dingy,  away!”  we 
resumed  our  sewing  contentedly  on  the  main  deck, 
while  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  dingy  with  the  mail. 
We  had  not  more  than  seated  ourselves  at  our  work, 
when  the  cry  of  “Fire,  fire  I”  rang  out  across  the  water, 
bringing  to  his  feet  every  man  on  the  deck  of  the 
“Louisiana,”  and  a rush  was  made  for  the  side  to  see 
from  whence  the  cry  arose.  The  mail-boat  was  on  fire, 
and  the  boatswain’s  mate*  piped  away  the  first  and 
second  cutters.  The  crews  sprang  to  their  stations 
and  the  boats  were  soon  under  way  to  render  what 
assistance  they  could.  We  bent  to  our  oars  with  a 
will  and  soon  ran  alongside  of  the  burning  steamer, 
' and  boarded  her.  The  fire  was  in  the  forward  part  of 
the  mail-boat,  and  her  crew  were  already  at  work  get- 
ting out  what  they  could.  Some  of  the  “Louisiana’s” 
men  rushed  down  into  the  cabin  to  assist  them,  while 
others,  who  remained  on  deck,  topk  the  articles  or  pack- 
ages handed  to  them,  and  passed  them  over  the  side  to 
the  soldiers  and  contrabands  oh  the  wharf.  Things 
were  getting  hot  below  when  some  one  sang  out,  “Here 


122 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


you  go,”  and  began  passing  up  bottles  of  whiskey. 
The  bottles  were  so  hot  that  it  was  impossible  to  hold 
them  more  than  a second  without  chanmn^  them  from 
hand  to  hand.  The  boys  would  grab  the  bottles,  pass 
them  from  one  hand  to  the  other  and  try  to  get  a drink. 
When  they  did  get  a drink,  it  was  so  hot  they  would 
iust  spit  it  out  again  "^and  pass  the  bottle  to  the  next 
man,  and  so  to  the  soldiers  on  the  wharf  where  it  would 
instantly  disappear,  probably  under  some  soldier’s  coat 
to  get  cool.  I managed  to  get  hold  of  one  bottle.  Great 
Christopher  ! how  hot  it  was.  But  I was  bound  to 
sample  it,  and  I did.  It  was  the  hottest  whiskey 
straight  that  I ever  put  into  my  mouth.  The  steamer 
was  on  fire  inside,  and  so  was  I for  a few  minutes.  I 
managed  to  pass  a couple  of  bottles  to  a soldier  on  the 
the  wharf,  who  promised  to  keep  them — and  he  did. 
At  such  times  even  your  friends  go  back  on  you. 

The  fire  was  soon  extin o^uished  in  the  cabin.  It  was 

O 

intensely  hot  on  deck,  and  there  was  danger  of  the  two 
. cannons  on  the  forward  deck  becoming  heated,  and  the 
Lord  only  knew  which  way  they  were  pointing.  There 
were  about  one  hundred  soldiers  gathered  on  the  wharf 
and  some  fifty  contrabands,  and  the  noise  they  made 
almost  drowned  the  roaring  and  crackling  of  the  fiames 
and  the  orders  of  our  officers  on  the  burning  steamer. 
In  the  meantime,  some  one  had  procured  augers  from 


f 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  123 

the  ship  yard  close  by  and  were,  boring  holes  into  her 
to  flood  her. 

“Lively,  boys,  lively  ; get  out  what  you  can  handy, 
and  leave  the  rest.  Follow  me,  some  of  you,  we  must 
try  to  get  those  guns  on  shore,”  said  the  lieutenant. 

Tom  and  I,  with  several  others,  made  a rush  forward 

I 

after  the  lieutenant,  but  we  had  not  gone ^ but  a few 
steps  in  the  direction  of  the  guns  when  we  were  driven 
back  by  the  fierce  flames  and, the  suffocating  smoke. 

“No  use,  boys,  we  cannot  save  anything  forward.” 

As  the  lieutenant  uttered  these  words,  bang,  bang ! 
went  the  two  cannons,  and  the  shell  with  which  they 
were  loaded  burst  in  close  proximity  to  the  gun-boat 
“Louisiana.”  Suddenly  there  came  a,  cry  from  the 
soldiers  and  contrabands  on  the*  wharf : “She  has  ' 
ammunition  on  board,”  whereupon  we  all  made  a rush 
for  the  wharf.  Ben  Gibson  and  Joe  Reynolds 
clambered  down  the  side  into  the  boats  alongside 
and  shoved  them  clear  from  the  burnino^  steamer,  then 
bent  to  the  oars  with  a will  to  put  distance  between 
themselves  and  the  burning  boat.  The  rest  of  us,  soldiers 
and  sailors,  rushed  to  the  side  and  sprang  on  to  the 
wharf ; then  soldiers,  sailors  and  contrabands  joined  in 
a race  to  see  who  could  reach  first  the  main  street  and 
the  cover  of  the  intervening  buildings  before  the  ex- 
pected explosion  took  place.  But  the  men  with  the 
augers  had  performed  their  work  faithfully  in  the  little 


124 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


time  at  their  disposal,  and  the  steamer  when  we  ran 
from  her  had  already  begun  to  settle,  and  by  the  time 
we  reached  cover  and  looked  back,  she,  with  a last 
effort,  threw  up  a myriad  of  sparks  in  a dense,  dark 
smoke ; then  with  a hissing  and  sputtering  she  sank  to 
her  gunwales,  thereby  precluding  any  possibility  of  an 
explosion.  It  had  been  very  exciting,  and  I did  not 
realize  how  tired  I was  until  the  steamer’s  hull  had  dis- 
appeared beneath  the  water.  I did  not  forget  the 
event  for  many  a day,  and  it  is  impressed  on  my  mem- 
ory to  this  hour,  especially  the  hot  whiskey.  The  mail 
bags  were  saved  and  that  was  a cause  of  great  rejoicing 
among  us. 

Mr.  Westervelt  waited  until  our  mail  was  sorted 
from  the  rest,  then  all  proceeded  to  the  wharf,  where 
we  found  Gibson,  Reynolds  and  Jimmy  Wilkinson 
with  the  boats.  We  stepped  in,  shoved  off,  and  in  a 
few  moments  were  on  board  the  gun-boat,  and  the 
crew  were  called  aft  to  receive  their  letters.  I listened 
for  my  name  to  be  called,  but  name  after  name  was 
read  over  and  yet  mine  was  omitted.  Hope  sank 
within  me  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  pile  of  letters 
in  the  lieutenant’s  hands  dwindled. 

Tom’s  name  was  called,  and  he  stepped  forward  to 
receive  his  letter.  As  he  passed  me  on  his  return  he 
said,  “From  home,  Steve;  see  the  Providence 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


125 


postmark,”  holding  the  letter.  At  last,  when  but 
two  letters  remained  in  the  hands  of  »the  lieutenant, 
he  held  them  up  in  a tantalizing  way  before  our 
faces,  and  then  with  a cheery  smile  called  out  my 
name.  I quickly  squeezed  through  the  crowd  to  ob- 
tain them.  After  this  I went  directly  over  to  the  star- 
board side  and  seated  myself  on  the  long  thirty-two 
gun  and  opened  them.  One  was  from  home  ; the  other 
from  Swansea,  Mass.,  from  a friend  there.  Disposing 
of  the  one  from  my  Swansea  friend  first,  I then  turned 
my  attention  to  the  one  from  home. 

The  very  first  line  made  me  reel  and  feel  sick  ; 

“Lizzie  passed  quietly  away  on  the . She  spoke 

of  you  and  Phil  before  she  died,  and  hoped  to  meet  you 
both  in  heaven.”  Dear  little  Lizzie ; I never  more 
should  see  her  radiant  face  on  earth.  Tom  told  the 
boys  of  my  sorrow,  and  they  respected  it  by  letting  me 
alone  until  I could  command  my  feelings.  I could 
hardly  bring  myself  to  realize  that  she  was  dead.  I 
could  only  think  of  her  as  I saw  her  last.  The  sad 
news  unsettled  me  for  a number  of  days.  But  time 
heals  all  wounds,  and  though  I have  never  forgotten 

I 

Lizzie,  I can  think  of  her  only  as  being  absent  at 
some  future  time  to  return.  So  hard  is  it  to  realize 
the  death  of  a loved  one,  especially  when  one  is  absent 
from  the  family  circle.  Thinking  of  it  I did  not  get 


( . 

126  KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

any  sleep  that  night  until  long  after  eight  bells  had 
struck  in  the  midnight  watch,  but  finally  tired  nature 
succumbed  and  I sank  into  a troubled  sort  of  sleep. 

j . 

y 


/ 


GHAPTCR  VII. 


♦ 


OUR  FIRST  LIBERTY  DAY  IN  LITTLE 

WASHINGTON. 

E had  been  so  busily  employed  since  our  arrival 


on  board  the  ‘‘Louisiana,”  that  we  had  not  had 
a day’s  liberty  on  shore,  and  I,  for  one,  was  just  long- 
ing for  a walk  on  dry  land  once  more,  to  take  in  the 
town,  and  also  become  acquainted  with  the  Buffaloes’ 
daughters,  as  the  boys  had  informed  us  that  there  were 
some  fine-looking  girls  in  the  town,  and  that  a man 
could  travel  a day  and  not  find  elsewhere  such  hand- 
some forms  and  faces.  So  when  we  turned  out,  the 
morning  after  the  fire,  I made  the  proposition  to  Tom 
that  we  should  ask  the  lieutenant  for  a day’s  liberty. 
“I  agree,”  said  Tom;  “and  we  will  ask  some  of  the 
crew  to  go  along  with  us,”  he  added. 

After  the  decks  had  been  washed  down,  and  our 
breakfast  had  been  disposed  of,  Tom  and  I proceeded 
aft  to  seek  permission  to  go  on  shore.  We  found  Mr. 
Westervelt,  the'  executive  officer,  pacing  the  deck 
athwart  ship  just  inside  the  fife-rail.  Commander 
Richard  Renshaw  and  Lieutenant  Westervelt  had  taken 


128 


( 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

the  places  of  Commander  Murray  and  Furness  just 
before  we  joined  the  vessel.  I approached  him  and 
touching  my  cap,  asked  if  we  could  be  allowed  a day 
on  shore.  The  lieutenant  stopped  a moment ; then 
turning  towards  us,  smilingly  gave  his  consent,  but  imme- 
diately added,  ‘‘You  had  better  have  one  or  two  of  the 
older  hands  that  are  acquainted  in  the  town  go  along 
and  show  you  how  to  get  round  ; and  perhaps,”  he 
added,  “to  keep  you  out  of  mischief.” 

“Aye,  aye,  sir,”  I answered,  “Joe  Reynolds  and 
Ben  Gibson  are  going  to-day.” 

“Well,  they  will  probably  show  you^ll  there  is 
worth  seeing,”  said  the  lieutenant,  as  he  resumed  his 
walk,  while  Tom  and  I went  forward  to  dress,  in  our 
best  suits,  duck  pants  and  white  shirts. 

At  two  bells  (nine  o’clock)  the  dingy  was  hauled 
alongside  and  the  liberty  men  boarded  her  and  were 
rowed  by  the  dingy  man,  the  man  whose  turn  it  was  in 
the  boat,  to  the  wharf  opposite  the  “Louisiana.”  Upon 
landing  we  proceeded  up  the  hill  to  Main  street.  Then 
we  stopped  to  take  our  bearings,  and  to  consult  which 
way  it  was  best  to  steer  first. 

“Let’s  go  down  town  first,”  said  Joe. 

“What  do  you  say  to  it,  boys?”  said  Gibson,  turning 
and  addressing  Tom  and  me. 

“Oh,  it  is  immaterial  to  me  which  way  we  proceed 


k 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

V 


129 


first,  so  long  as  we  take  in  all  the  places  that  are  of 
interest,’’  said  I. 

“Where-avvay  is  the  fort  situated?”  asked  Tom. 

“Oh,  that’s  at  the  upper  end  of  the  town.  We  go 
straight  up  this  street  and  then  turn  to  the  right  to  get 
there.  It’s  only  a short  distance,  just  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town,”  said  Joe.  “If  it’s  agreed  we’ll  go  there 
first.” 

As  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  dissenting  voice,  we 
turned  our  steps  towards  the  fort. 

Little  Washington  is  the  capital  of  Beaufort  county. 
It  is  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Tar  or  Pamlico  river, 
about  twenty-five  miles  south-west  of  Jamesville,  and 
about  forty  miles  north  of  New  Berne.  It  is  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  distant  from  Raleigh. 
Tar  river,  in  the  channel  to  Little  Washington,  accommo- 
dates vessels  drawing  eight  feet  of  water.  There  is 
one  court  house,  several  churches,  and  a newspaper 
office  in  the  town,  and  before  the  war  it  had  a popula- 
tion of  about  2,000  inhabitants.  On  each  side  of  the 

* 

streets  rows  of  elm  trees  flourish,  the  tops  of  which 
twine  and  intertwine  with  each  other,  forming  an  arch 
overhead,  so  that  when  one  is  coming  up  the  river,  it  is 
diflScult  to  distinguish  houses  on  account  of  their 
density.  Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the  summer 
when  the  trees  are  loaded  with  foliage.  Passing  up 

I 

the  main  street,  we  encountered  quite  a number  of 


( 


130  RECOLL KCTlOxNS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

soldiers,  and  sailors  from  the  different  gun-boats  in 
the  harbor,  all  seemingly  intent  on  enjoying  themselves. 
We  stopped  at  the  bridge  leading  across  Tar  river 
^ to  the  opposite  shore,  where  one  company  of  loyal 
North  Carolinians  was  stationed  to  ffuard  the  brido:e  on 
the  town  side.  They  were  called  Buffaloes  by  the 
boys,  but  just  why,  they  could  not  satisfactorily 
explain  to  me.  They  were  a fine  looking  body  of  men, 
and  as  brave  as  they  looked,  Joe  informed  us.  Gibson 
and  Reynolds  seemed  to  be  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
some  of  them,  and  introduced  Tom  and  me.  If  there 
was  to  be  a reconnoissance  at  any  time  into  the  enemy’s 
lines,  these  men,  Reynolds  informed  us,  were  always 
chosen  to  accompany  the  expedition,  as  they  were  well 
acquainted  with  the  country  round  about,  and  were 
always  reliable  informants.  They  were  very  sociable 
and  inclined  to  talk.  Most  of  them  had  families,  some  of 
whom  resided  in  the  town.  There  were  a few  unmarried 
men  also  in  the  company,  and  I noticed  several  who 
appeared  to'  be  mere  boys,  carrying  muskets.  They 
were  brave  little  fellows,  and  their  courage,  as  well 
as  that  of  the  older  ones,  had  been  tested  many  times, 
and  they  were  never  found  wanting  where  danger 
threatened.  Many  of  these  brave  men  had  families 
residing  outside  the  lines,  yet  they  faced  every  danger, 
and  some  were  even  killed  in  their  attempts  to  visit 
them.  When  they  wished  to  see  their  wives  and 


/ 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


131 


children,  two  or  more  of  them  would  apply  at  head- 
quarters for  a furlough,  wait  until  night  set  in,  then 
start  outside  the  lines  and  make  their  way  across  the 
country  in  the  direction  of  their  homes.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  house  of  one  of  their  number,  he  would 
go  inside,  and  stay  with  his  family  a day  or  two,  while 
the  others  would  keep  watch  on  the  outside.  If  danger 
threatened,  they  would  silently  warn  the  man  inside 
and  then  separate  and  reconnoitre.  If  there  were  too 
many  of  the  rebs  for  them  to  risk  an  encounter,  they 
would  creep  away  for  a short  distance  from  the  house, 
and  lie  in  wait  until  the  rebs  took  their  departure, 
when  they  would  stealthily  return  to  the  house  and  the 
soldier  would  be  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  again. 
But  on  the  other  hand,  if  there  were  only  a half-a-dozen 
, of  the  rebs,  or  bushwackers,  lurking  around,  there 
would  be  one  or  two 'less  guerrillas  in  that  section  of 
the  country,  if  the  Buffaloes  could  by  any  means 
bring  it  about,  by  either  capturing  or  killing  them. 
The  farmer  bushwackers  were  in  the  habit  of  visitino: 
the  houses  of  these  loyal  men  in  the  hopes  of  catching 
them  naj)ping,  and  if  they  did  their  furlough  would  be 
a long  one.  After  a day  or  two  spent  thus  with  their 
families,  they  would  take  up  their  line  of  march  and 
proceed  to  the  home  of  the  next  one  in  the  party  resid- 
ing nearest,  where  the  same  operation  would  be  repeated, 
and  so  on,  till  they  had  all  paid  a visit  to  their  homes. 


132 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


Great  danger  attended  them  in  these  visits,  and  they 
were  very  careful  not  to  leave  any  trace  behind  them 
to  enable  it  to  become  known  to  the  rebels,  because  of 
the  danger  and  the  persecution  to  their  families,  if  the 
latter  became  aware  that  the  loyal  men  had  been  har- 
bored by  them.  I questioned  one  of  them  as  to  why 
he  did  not  move  his  family  into  the  town  where  they 
would  be  assured  of  the  protection  of  Uncle  Sam. 

‘‘God  bless  ye,”  said  he,  “weuns  ain’t  got  no  horses 

I 

and  wagons  to  tote  our  belongings,  and  besides,  if  we 
leave  our  families  where  they  are,  they  can,  in  a measure, 
protect  our  homes,  and  save  the  houses  over  their  heads, 
if  nothing  more.  The  rebs  ain’t  hard  on  the  wimmen 
folks  only  where  they  spe’cs  them  of  hiding  we  uns.  A 
/ good  many  of  these  same  rebels  were  near  neighbors 

f 

once,  and  were  peaceful  and  quiet  ones,  but  they  think 
we  uns  have  deserted  our  country,  as  they  call  it;  mean- 
ing the  south,  and  are  fighting  on  the  wrong  side  when 
we  open  for  the  Union,  hence  their  hatred  of  us  and  all 
our  belongings.” 

“You  never  had  any  doubt,  I suppose,  of  the  final 
ending  of  this  war,  in  regard  to  which  side  will  eventu- 
ally win?”  I asked. 

‘ ‘Never,  sir,  never  ; and  if  I thought  the  rebels  would 
win,  which  I think  they  cannot,  I would  fight  for  the 
Union  all  the  same.  That  flag  up  there,”  pointing  to 
the  glorious  old  stars  and  stripes  that  were  plainly  dis- 


/ 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


133 


cernible  from  where  we  stood,  floatino-  out  on  the  flag- 
staff in  the  fort,  “must  never  be  trailed  in  the  dust  to 
give  place  to  that  rag  the  rebels  call  the  stars  and  bars.” 
I endorsed  his  sentiments,  and  told  him  I was  with 
him  hand  and  heart  for  the  Union  and  our  country 
inseparable.  After  chatting  awhile  with  others  of  the 
company,  we  resumed  our  walk  up  Main  street.  At 
the  corner  of  Main  and  the  street  leading  up  to  the  fort, 
we  fell  in  with  some  of  the  crew  of  the  “Commodore 
Hull,”  and  upon  oilr  invitation  they  joined  us,  for  as 
Tom  said,  the  more  the  merrier.  Arriving  at  the  fort, 
we  found  a soldier  on  guard  at  the  gate,  who  told  us 
to  pass  in  and  look  around.  The  fort  was  a very  large 
earth-work  built  at  the  right  hand  side  of  the  road,  and 
commanding  all  the  approaches.  A block  house  was 
standing  just  beyond  the  fort,  and  it  looked  funny 
enough,  set  up  on  piles  about  six  feet  high,  with  a flight 
of  steps  leading  up  to  it.  We  spent  an  hour  or  two 
inside  the  fort;  then,  upon  the  proposal  of  Joe  Rey- 
nolds, we  set  out  to  visit  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry. 
We  passed  a number  of  the  feminine  gender  on  our 
way,  some  of  whom  were  quite  pretty  and  lady-like, 
and  who  also  did  not  hesitate  to  return  a smile  or  nod 

to  a salutation  from  Joe,  or  Ben  Gibson,  while  there 

\ 

were  others  who  had  a decided  preference  for  the  middle 
of  the  street,  thereby  giving  us  a most  decided  cut,  but 
not  to  our  chagrin,  however,  for  we  were  perfectly  will- 


134 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


in^  they  should  have  the  middle  of  the  street  if  they 
chose.  The  sidewalk  was  good  enough  for  us.  Tom 
and  the  rest  of  us  watched  the  girls  describe  a circle,  in 
order  to  come  out  some  distance  above,  and  when  they 
were  right  abreast  of  us,  Tom  uttered  one  of  his  funny 
sayings,  while  watching  them  daintily  picking  their 

way  in  the  muddy  street. 

\ 

‘‘Goodness  gracious,  boys  ! do  you  know  what  that 
makes  me  think  of?” 

“No  ; what  does  it  make  you  think  of,  Tom?”  asked 
Joe  Reynolds. 

“Why,  it  makes  me  think  of  an  old  maid  I knew  at 
home,  who  always  walked  on  tiptoe  around  to  the  fur- 
thest corner  of  the  room,  if  by  chance  she  was  left  alone 
with  a real  live  man,”  and  he  gave  us  an  imitation  of 
how  she  did  it,  taking  hold  of  his  pants  and  edging  on 
tiptoe  around  us. 

“Ha  ! ha  ! ha  !”  we  all  laughed  at  the  funny  figure  cut 
by  Tom,  and  as  he  sidled  up  and  down  by  us  again, 
the  girls  found  their  tongues  and  berated  us  soundly  in 
language  not  over  choice  nor  very  polite.  I was 
shocked  at  their  profanity,  which  I thought  would  ill 
befit  a man.  But  Joe  only  poohed,  and  said  I would 
soon  get  used  to  it.  I vowed  to  myself  I never  should, 
and  I was  very  careful  after  that  not  to  provoke,  by 
any  act  of  mine,  that  which  would  tend  to  make  any 
lady  think  ill  of  me  or  forget  her  sex  so  much  in  pass- 


% 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  135 

ing  me  on  the  street  as  to  utter  unkind  or  vituperous 
words.  We  reached  the  camp  of  the  Third  New 
York  without  any  incident  worty  of  mention,  except 
that  Tom  wanted  to  stop  at  one  of  the  occupied  houses 
and  ask  for  a drink  of  water  so  that  he  could  see  the 
interior,  as  it  was  so  long,  he  said,  since  he  had  seen 
the  inside  of  a house  that  he  had  almost  forgotten  how 
one  looked.  So  we  waited  on  the  street  for  him  while 
he  obtained  the  desired  information.  When  he  returned 
to  us  he’  said  he  was  well  treated  at  the  house  ; they 
gave  him  a drink  of  water,  “And  only  think,”  he 
added,  “in  a glass  tumbler,  too  ! and  the  lady  of  the 
house  invited  me  to  call  again.  You  bet  I accepted 
the  invitation,  and  the  very  next  time  I come  on  shore 
on  liberty  I am  going  there  to  see  her.” 

There  were  three  companies  of  the  Third  New  York 

Cavalry  on  detached  service  at  Little  Washington,  and 

\ 

many  were  the  raids  made  by  them  outside  the  town 
andjines.  They  were  as  fine  a body  of  men  as  one 
, could  wish  to  see,  and  on  liberty  days  we  always  made 

I 

it  a point  to  pay  them  a visit,  for  we  were  always  wel- 
come visitors  at  their  camp  fires,  and  we  made  it  ' 
another  point  always  to  be  stored  with  plenty  of  “navy 
plug”  when  visiting  the  shore.  This  was  such  tobacco 
as  the  soldiers  could  not  get  for  money  except  through 
our  management.  The  Third  had  nearly  all  the  picket 
10 


136 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


duty  to  perform,  but  they  were  never  known  to  grumble. 
Very  often  they  were  driven  in  by  a larger  force  of 
Johnnies  than  their  own,  but  they  always  made  a stand 
and  succeeded  in  leaving  their  marks  behind  them  in 
the  shape  of  sabre  cuts  or  bullet  holes  from  their  car- 
bines. This  day  they  had  just  returned  from  a recon- 
noissance  across  the  bridge,  where  they  had  encountered 
the  rebel  cavalry.  The  Third  charged  on  them,  putting 
them  to  flight  and  capturing  flve  prisoners  and  flfteen 
horses.  Belonging  to  one  company  of  the  Third  was 
a boy  only  flfteen  years  of  age.  On  horseback  he  was 

in  his  element,  but  on  foot  he  was  so  short  that  he  was 

/ 

unable  to  wield  his  sabre  without  its  point  coming  in 
contact  with  the  ground.  The  little  fellow  was  in  the 
habit  of  coming  down  to  the  wharf  to  practice  the 
sabre  drill,  and  it  was  very  amusing  to  see  him  go 
through  with  it.  He  would  climb  upon  one  of  the 
on  the  wharf,  draw  his  sabre,  and  execute  all  the  d 
ent  cuts,  guards  and  thrusts,  while  we  on  the  “Louis- 
iana ” would  applaud  him.  Like  the  lightning’s  flash  ^ 
the  sabre,  wielded  by  the  little  fellow’s  stout  right  arm, 
would  describe  a circle  around  the  boy’s  head,  and  then 
coming  to  a present,  he  would  return  the  sabre  to  its 
scabbard,  jump  down  from  off*  the  pile,  and  walk 
proudly  away  with  it  clanging  and  dragging  behind 
him. 

We  had  a jolly  good  time  with  the  boys,  smoking. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


137 


playing  euchre  and  telling  stories,  in  'which  our  ex- 
perience with  Paddy  D’yle  on  the  Guardo,  and  our 
subsequent  trials  in  reaching  Little  Washington  were 
related  by  Tom  and  myself  with  such  gusto  that  the 
boys  were  highly  pleased.  Finally,  we  took  our 
departure,  promising  to  call  again  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity. 

say,  boys.  I’ll  tell  you  what  we’ll  do  now,  if  so 
be  it  that  you’ll  agree  to  it,”  said  Ben  Gibson. 

“What?  what?” 

“Let’s  hear.” 

“Drive  ahead,  Ben,”  and  many  other  expressions 
followed. 

“Well,  some  of  you,  of  course,”  continued  Ben, 
“know  old  Farmer  John,  or  ‘Guerrilla  John,’  as  the 
crew  of  the  ‘Louisiana’  persist  in  calling  him,  who 
lives  just  outside  the  lines  beyond  the  fort?” 

“Yes,  yes,”  chorused  several  of  the  party. 

V 

“Well,  we  will  pay  him  a visit  and  help  ourselves  to 
a chicken  or  two,  for  I am  sure  he  can  spare  them  as 
well  as  not.  Then  we  will  take  them  down  to  old 

' I 

Aunt  Phebe,  and  get  her  to  cook  them  for  us,  and  we’ll 
have  a jolly  feast.” 

“Yes,  the  chicken  part  is  all  good  enough,  but  how 
are  we  to  get  them  if  ‘Guerrilla  John’  is  at  home?” 
asked  Joe.  “You  know,”  he  continued,  “there  has 
been  so  many  complaints  made  by  him  to  Renshaw 


138 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


aBout  US,  and  to  General  Foster  about  the  soldiers 
stealing,  as  he  calls  it — I call  it  foraging — his  fowls, 
that  there  have  been  strict  orders  issued  in  regard  to 
it,  and  if  we  get  caught,  why  good  day  to  liberty  for 
three  long  months.” 

“Well,  but  we  are  not  going  to  be  caught,”  said 
Ben  ; “if  we  find  the  old  duffer  at  home,  .we’ll  buy  a 
chicken  or  two  of  him.  On  the  other  hand,  if  he  is  off 
spying  for  the  rebels  to  inform  them  how  things  are 
going  on  in  the  town — and  I don’t  think  a bit  better  of 
him  for  it — why,  we’ll  help  ourselves  in  spite  of  the 
old-old-why,  his  wife  I mean,  the  old  she  guerrilla.” 

“Ha!  ha  I haj”  We  all  laughed  merrily  at  Ben’s 
way  of  putting  it.  After  our  merriment  had  somewhat 

subsided,  we  took  notes  and  found  that  every  man  and 

• 

boy  in  the  party  was  ready  for  the  adventure,  and  eager 
to  set  out ; so  chosing  Ben  Gibson  for  our  leader,  we 
turned  in  the  direction  of  Guerrilla  John’s  plantation. 
We  arrived  there  in  due  time,  and  stealing  silently 
round  to  the  rear  of  the  house  were  just  in  time  to  see 
'John  disappear  in  the  woods  on  the  opposite  side. 

“Hist  I”  said  Ben,  who  was  in  advance  of  us,  “there 
goes  the  old  cuss  ; he  is  off  to  commit  some  mischief. 
I’ll  be  bound.” 

“Where  is  he?”  whispered  Tom,  half  rising  from  his 
stooping  posture  to  get  a sight  of  him. 

“S— h— I let  him  get  well  away,”  said  Ben;  “then 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


139 


we’ll  over  the  fence  and  get  some  chickens  in  a twink- 
ling.” 

We  were  all  crouching  down  in  the  grass,  among 
the  underbrush,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fence  from 
the  house,  while  the  above  consultation  was  carried  on, 
but  arose  to  our  feet  and  made  a rush  for  the  fence  at  the 
word  from  Ben  that  it  was  all  right,  and  said  he,  ‘‘What 
we  do,  we  must  do  mighty  quick,  for  if  the  old  she 
critter  comes  out  of  the  house  there  will  be  some  tall 
shrieking,  you  bet.” 

In  a moment  we  all  stood  in  the  yard ; in  the  next 
made  a rush  for  the  hen-house,  and  in  almost  a shorter 
time  than  it  takes  to  write  it,  we  had  secured  half-a- 
dozen  of  the  best  looking  chickens  that  were  in  the  coop. 
Stopping  their  wind,  we  made  hasty  strides  for  the 
fence,  which  upon  reaching  we  clambered  over,  and 
with  Ben  and  Joe  leading,  we  hurried  away  for  Aunt 
Phebe’s  domain,  hiding  the  chickens  under  our  jackets 
to  prevent  them  from  being  seen  by  any  chance  passer-  - 
by.  We  chose  the  most  unfrequented  road  to  reach 
Aunt  Phebe’s,  and  as  good  luck  crowned  our  efforts, 
we  met  but  two  persons  on  our  way  thither ; one  an 
old  lady  and  the  other  a contraband,  neither  of  whom 
suspected  what  we  were  carrying  under  our  jackets. 

I shall  never  forget  old  Aunt  Phebe,  nor  the  pot- 
stews  she  so  used  to  delight  in  making  for  us  when  it 
was  our  liberty  day  on  shore.  Let  me  endeavor  to  give 


I 


140 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


you  a description  of  her  as  she  appeared  at  that  time. 
She  was  about  as  broad  as  long,  short  and  dumppy, 
and  had  thick,  fat  hands,  a broad  face,  large  eyes, 
an  extremely  broad  and  flat  nose,  but  withal  a pleasant 
countenance,  that  was  always  wreathed  in  smiles  ; thick, 
woolly  hair,  which  she  wore  in  stubby  curls  all  over  her 
head.  Her  dress  was  short  and  made  of  tow  cloth,  and 
most  of  the  time  she  was  barefoot.  There  you  have 
her  as  I saw  her  twenty-two  years  ago.  Aunt  Phebe’s 
was  our  general  rendezvous  when  on  shore,  where  we 
were  sure  of  getting  something  to  supply  the  inner  man, 
if  it  was  not  quite  as  palatable  as  we  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  get  at  home ; yet  we  used  to  think  then  that 
her  pot-stews  were  about  the  right  thing.  The  Lord 
only  knows  what  kind  of  meat  she  used  at  times,  but 
once  in  a while  a good  fat  chicken,  that  we  were  sure 
was  fresh  and  good,  found  its  way  into  the  pot. 

I can  remember  her  standing  in  the  doorway  of  her 
little  tumble  down  shanty  on  that  day,  with  her  arms 
akimbo,  watching  us  as  we'  came  through  the  little 
alley  leading  to  her  door,  a broad  grin  illuminating  her 
features  ; then  her  exclamation  : 

“Hi ! hi ! whar  you  git  dem  dar  chicken’s,  honey?” 

as  we  passed  by  her,  went  in  and  threw  the  chickens 

% 

upon  the  table;  “Specs  you  been  ober  dar,”  pointing 
with  her  stubby  forefinger  towards  the  line.  We 
assured  her  we  had  been  “ober  dar,”  and  that  we  were 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


141 


awfully  hungry.  She  then  began  to  bustle  around  to 
prepare  us  our  dinner  and  we  engaged  to  help  her. 
We  brought  in  the  water  and  wood,  and  stumbled 
around  the  kitchen  in  everybody’s  way,  and  especially 
in  Aunt  Phebe’s.  One, of  the  boys  was  carrying  a pail 
of  water  when  he  bumped  against  her,  and  away  went 
the  water  all  over  the  kitchen  floor,  nearly  knocking 
him  over  while  he  scarcely  moved  her.  It  was  like 
striking  a solid  mass  of  India  rubber  to  butt  against  > 
old  Aunt  Phebe. ' She  grabbed  an  old  broom  and 
made  at  us  while  we  ducked  and  dodged  about  the 
room.  Aunt  Phebe  could  not  stand  much  violent  exer- 
cise, and  we  soon  tired  her  out,  when  she  threw  herself 
down  in  one  of  the  rickety  old  chairs  in  the  room,  and 
commenced  fanning  herself  with  her  apron.  As  soon 
as  she  recovered  her  breath,  she  said  : 

“Now,  look  hyer,  honeys,  yer  jest  goes  right  off, 
and  luff*  ole  aunty  ’lone,  she  can  do  heap  better  dan 
when  she  hab  you  ’roun’  wid  yer  foolin’.  Now,  go 
g’long  an  come  back  when  de  dinner  am  done  put  on 
de  table.  Reckon  ye  feel  kind  ’o  chicken-fled  den  ! 
Yah  ! yah  !”  And  the  good  old  soul  shook  her  fat 
sides,  and  got  up  and  waddled  away  to  attend  to  our 
dinner.  We  then  made  our  way  out  into  the  main 
street  to  watch  the  fashions. 

Old  men,  old  women,  yes,  and  some  young  women 


142 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


were  passing  up  and  down  the  street.  We  stood 

on  the  corner  of  and  Main  streets,  near  the 

Lafayette  hotel,  when  a bevy  of  handsome  girls  passed 
along.  One  of  them’  wore  a poke  bonnet,  and  all 
carried  their  noses  at  an  elevation  of  forty-five  degrees 
in  the  air.  Tom  remarked,  as  they  were  passing  us, 
that  they  were  the  best  looking  lot  that  he  had  seen 
since  leaving  home.  The  one  in  the  poke  bonnet 
resented  this  remark,  and  deliberately  turned  back  and 
confronted  the  audacious  Tom,  who  suddenly  put  down 
his  head  towards  her  and  it  disappeared  within  the 
opening  of  the  poke  bonnet.  A shout  of  laughter 
greeted  him  as  he  withdrew  his  head,  in  which  some  of 
the  girls  could  not  help  joining.  But  Miss  Poke,  didn’t 
she  give  Tom  a dressing  down  ? Guess  she  did,  but  I 
will  not  use  the  words  here. 

“Come,  let’s  get  out  of  this,”  said  Tom,  “I’m  satis- 
fied,” and  he  beat  a hasty  retreat,  while  the  rest  of  the 
party  followed  him  more  slowly.  As  it  was  getting 
along  towards  dinner  time,  we  wended  our  way  back 
to  Aunt  Phebe’s,  and  upon  arriving  there,  found  her 
all  ready  for  us.  Without  any  compliments,  w^e  took 
seats  at  the  table,  and  soon  the  chicken  stew  grew 
beautifully  less,  while  we  cracked  many  a joke  at  the 
expense  of  Tom  and  the  poke  bonnet. 

The  longest  day  has  an  ending  and  at  four  o’clock  in 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  143 

n 

' the  afternoon  we  went  down  to  the  wharf,  hailed  the 
dingy  boat  to  come  for  us,  and  take  us  on  board  the 
“Louisiana,”  tired,  but  feeling  as  if  we  had  put  in  a 
good  liberty  day. 


1 


f 


/ 


GRAPTCR  VIII. 


• 

REBEL  RAID  ON  LITTLE  WASHINGTON. 

The  sixth  day  of  September,  1862,  dawned  on 
Little  Washington  with  a dense  fog,  so  thick 
that  the  shore  was  not  discernible  from  the  deck  of  the 
“Louisiana.”  The  current  sluggishly  rippled  at  the 
bow;  all  seemed  quiet,  with  the  exception  of  the 
quartermaster’s  tread  on  the  upper  deck ; the  crew 
were  asleep  below  ; not  a sound  could  be  heard  from 
the  shore  to  mar  the  stillness  of  the  hour.  The  . gun- 
boat  “Picket ’’lay  anchored  above  the  bridge  in  the 
river,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  sentry’s  tread  on 
shore,  and  outposts  on  picket,  the  soldiers  were  quietly 
sleeping.  All  nature  seemed  hushed,  w^hen  suddenly, 
just  at  the  break  of  day,  and  with  hardly  a moment’s 
notice  came  the  indescribable  yell  of  the  rebels  mingled 
with  the  reports  of  musketry  on  shore.  From  peace 
and  quiet  the  scene  was  changed  in  a moment  to  one 
of  deadly  strife.  The  soldiers  grasped  their  arms  and 
quickly  formed  in  line  of  battle  to  meet  they  knew  not 

what.  The  boatswain’s  mate’s  shrill  whistle,  as  he 

( 

piped  all  hands  to  general  quarters,  aw’^oke  the  sailors 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


145 


from  their  peaceful  sleep,  and  soon  all  was  bustle  and 
preparation. 

Into  the  town  poured  the  rebels,  and  their  demo- 
niac yells  as  they  charged  up  and  down  the  main  street 
could  be  heard  far  and  near.  The  gun-boat  “Picket” 
was  the  first  to  open  fire  as  soon  as  her  commander 
realized  that  the  rebels  were  in  the  town,  holding,  as 
it  seemed,  undisputed  sway,  so  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly did  they  make  their  charge.  The  clashing  of 
sabres,  the  sharp,  quick  reports  of  the  muskets,  and  the 
trampling  of  the  rebel  horses  could  be  heard  distinctly 
by  the  crew  of  the  “Louisiana,”  who  were  waiting 
patiently  at  their  guns  eager  to  join  in  the  fray.  The 
fog  gradually  lifted,  and  soon  objects  could  be  discerned 
on  shore.  Two  or  three  companies  of  Massachusetts 
troops  were  in  the  barracks  at  the  bridge.  They  could 
be  seen  pouring  out  of  the  doors  to  engage  the  foe. 
The  Third  New  York  Cavalry  and  the  Buffaloes 
were  fi^htin^  and  char^ins^  the  rebels,  but  with  what 
effect  we  could  not  determine.  The  crew  of  the  gun- 
boat “Picket”  were  serving  their  guns  as  fast  as  they 
could  load  and  fire,- when  from  some  unexplained  reason 
the  boat  suddenly  blew  up,  and  the  mangled  crew,  such 
as  were  not  killed  outright,  thrown  into  the  river.  A 
scene  of  dire  confusion  existed  for  a moment,  then  the 
order  came  from  our  captain  to  lower  away  the  boats. 
The  boatswain’s  mate  piped  the  first  and  second  cutters 


146 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


away,  and  the  crew  sprang  to  their  stations  and  put 
out  from  the  ‘‘Louisiana”  to  pick  up  the  survivors  who 
were  struggling  in  the  water.  As  soon  as  all  were 
taken  up,  the  boats  were  rowed  back  to  the  gun-boat 
and  the  rescued  men  were  taken  on  board  and  carried 
to  the  berth  deck,  where  their  wounds  were  attended  to 
by  our  surgeon.  The  Johnnies  had  got  the  impression 
that  it  was  the  “Louisiana”  which  had  blown  up,  and 
commenced  shouting,  “Little  Washington  is  ours. 
Little  Washington  is  ours;  the  ‘Louisiana’  has  gone 
up.”  From  behind  trees  and  tree  boxes  our  soldiers 
loaded  and  fired  with  a will.  Charge  after  charge 
was  made  by  the  rebels  to  dislodge  them.  Twice  they 
charged  on  one  company,  who  had  made  a brave  stand 
behind  an  old  building  on  the  wharf,  formerly  occupied 
by  them  as  barracks,  but  they  were  repulsed  every 
time  with  loss.  As  the  fog  lifted  a little  more  we  could 
distinguish  friend  from  foe.  The  order  now  came  from 
Commander  Eenshaw  to  commence  firing.  We  opened 
fire  at  short  range,  from  four  guns  loaded  with  grape 
and  canister,  and  then  the  rebels  realized  their  mistake 
in  regard  to  the  “Louisiana’s”  being  blown  up,  while 
our  shots  made  sad  havoc  in  their  ranks.  Volley  after 
volley  the  rebs  poured  in  across  our  decks,  and  the 
“zip,  zip”  of  the  bullets  were  strange  sounds  to  some 
of  us.  The  “Louisiana”  lay  broadside  on  and  com- 
manded a full  sweep  of  the  street  leading  up  from  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


147 


wharf  to  the  main  street,  and  when  the  rebels  were 
dashing  • across  this  street  we  peppered  them.  The 
“Louisiana’s  ” deck  on  the  starboard  and  port  sides 
was  protected  with  cotton  bales,  so  that  the  crew  while 
serving  their  guns  would  be  in  a measure  secure  from 
the  rebel  bullets. 

The  rebels  ’ continued  to  charge  up  and  down  the 
main  street,  and  when  they  came  to  the  head  of  the 
street  leading  to  the  wharf,  they  would  wheel  and  give 
us  a volley,  and  at  every  charge  made  by  them  across 
this  street  we  thinned  their  ranks  with  our  grape  and 
canister.  The  land  force  was  too  small  to  make 
much  of  a show  against  the  rebel  cavalry,  but  although 
few  in  number,  they  made  a brave  stand  and  also 
made  it  very  warm  for  the  Johnnies.  The  North 
Carolinia  troops  fought  like  tigers.  One,  a boy  only 
thirteen  years  of  age,  was  seen  behind  a large  elm  tree 
to  load  and  fire  several  times,  and  a squad  of  rebels 
charged  on  him  to  dislodge  him  from  his  position. 
The  little  fellovy  jumped  down  a steep  embankment 
and  ran  down  the  street  leading  to  the  wharf,  to  get 
under  cover  of  the  “Louisiana’s”  guns.  He  had  gone 
but  a little  way,  when  the  enemy  galloped  up,  wheeled 
across  the  head  of  the  street  and  fired  a volley  at  him. 
None  of  their  shots,  however,  seemed  to  take  effect, 
and  in  a moment  more  the  brave  lad  was  safe  beKind 
the  brick  store-house  on  the  wharf.  The  “Louisiana” 


148 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


fired  a broadside  into  their  ranks,  which  caused  them 
to  make  a hasty  retreat,  and  as  they  retired  they  were 
well  served  with  grape  and  canister. 

The  rebels  were  now  becoming  sick  of  Little  Wash- 
ington, and  their  only  endeavor  was  to  get  out  of  the 
town,  in  which  they  had  received  such  a hot  reception, 
but  they  found  it  was  easier  to  come  in  when  we  were 
all  asleep  than  it  was  to  get  out  when  every  man  and 
boy  was  wide  awake  and  full  of  fight.  Their  retreat 
became  a stampede.  Everything  that  had  a tendency 
to  impede  their  movements  was  thrown  aside  in  their 
hasty  flight.  They  were  compelled  to  cross  a corn- 
field on  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  in  doing  which  the 
guns  from  the  fort  harassed  them  severely.  Mr. 
McKee ver,  the  master’s  mate,  was  ordered  to  the  mast- 
head to  give  the  direction  taken  by  the  rebels,  and  also 
to  give  the  captains  of  the  guns  the  elevation,  and  the 
“Louisiana”  dropped  the  shell  from  her  heavy  guns 
into  the  very  midst  of  the  retreating  foe,  causing  them 
to  howl  with  dismay.  They  dashed  across  the  corn- 
field, out  into  the  open  country  beyond,  and  were  soon 
out  of  range.  Soon  the  order  to  cease  firing  came 
from  our  commander,  and  the  tired  men  rested  at 
their  guns,  after  the  boatswain’s  mate  had  repeated  the 
order.  It  had  been  hot  work  for  the  boys  on  the  ships, 
and  the  soilders  on  the  shore,  but  heroically  they  faced 
the  rebel  music.  The  rebels  suffered  severely  in  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  149 

m 

engagement,  although  it  was  but  of  short  duration. 
The  ‘‘Louisiana”  expended  about  eighty  rounds  of 
ammunition  with  telling  effect  upon  the  Johnnies.  On 
account  of  the  explosion  of  the  gun-boat  “Picket”  the 
loss  on  our  side  was  severe,  but  the  rebels  suffered  the 
most,  and  left  a number  of  dead  and  wounded  behind 
them  in  their  retreat.  Only  those  who  have  taken  a 
part  in,  or  witnessed  an  engagement,  can  realize  its 
awful  grandeur.  Shells  bursting  in  the  air,  over,  and 

among  the  soldiers,  the  roll  of  musketry,  the  groans 

1 

of  the  dying,  the  shrieks  of  the  wounded,  the  trampling 
of  the  host  over  the  dead  and  the  dying,  are  indeed 
appalling  beyond  measure,  and  one  cannot  analyze  or 
describe  his  feelings  at  such  a time.  The  old  soldier  as 
well  as  the  new,  dreads  a battle  ; the  suspense  before  it 
is  truly  awful.  In  a few  minutes  after  the  command  to 
cease  firing,  the  order  was  given  to  man  the  boats,  and 
the  first  and  second  cutters  were  piped  away.  Our 
troops  had  in  the  fight,  been  fired  at  by  some  of  the 
inmates  of  the  houses  in  the  town,  and  the  lieutenant 
in  charge  of  the  boats  was  ordered  to  search  the  houses 
for  arms.  It  was  nothing  strange  to  hear  that  some  of 
the  inhabitants  had  shown  their  true  colors  by  firing 
from  ambush  on  our  soldiers. 

‘,‘Look  alive  now,  boys,”  said  the  lieutenant,  as  the 
boat  struck  the  wharf  and  the  crew  had  landed  ; “fall 
in  by  twos,”  he  added;  forward,  march.  Keep  close 


/ 


/ 


150  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR.  BOY. 

**  < 

together,  men.”  Silently  now  the  men  marched  up  the 

hill  and  into  the  main  street.  Here  was  seen  evidence 

of  the  sanguinary  conflict  that  had  so  recently  taken 

place.  The  dead  and  the  wounded  had  not  as  yet  been 

cared  for.  Our  troops  were  scattered  about  the  town, 

• and  two  companies  of  North  Carolina  troops  were  just 

coming  in  from  beyond  the  fort,  where  they  had 

followed  the  rebel  raiders  in  their  hasty  flight  from  the 

town.  Everywhere,  on  the  tree-boxes,  store-houses, 

and  trees,  could  be  seen  the  marks  of  the  destructive 

grape  and  canister  shot  from  the  “Louisiana’s”  guns. 

The  missiles  had  ploughed  and  furrowed  everything 

that  had  chanced  to  be  in  the  way  of  the  iron  hail-storm. 

Now  commenced  the  work  of  searching.  As  we  came 

to  the  first  house  on  the  line  of  our  march,  we  met  with 

no  opposition,  as  the  pretended  Union  men  did  not  dare 

« 

utter  any  remonstrance.  Not  a man  but  avowed  that 
he  was  for  the  Union.  The  only  explanation  entered 
into  by  any  of  them  was  that  the  rebel  cavalry  men  had 
taken  refuge  in  their  houses,  and  that  it  was  by  them 
that  the  shots  were  fired.  Of  course  the  lieutenant  had 
to  be  satisfied  with  this  explanation  from  the  inmates. 

To  prosecute  the  search,  the  lieutenant  had  procured 
a mule-team  from  a contraband  living  in  the  town,  and 
the  arms,  as  fast  as  collected,  were  put  into  the  wagon 
and  carted  to  the  fort.  Guns  of  every  description  were 
found  ; single-barreled  shot-guns,  double-barreled  shot- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


151 


guns,  squirrel  rifles  with  a bore  no  larger  than  a small 
pea,  but  nevertheless  a deadly  weapon ; muskets  of  all 
descriptions,  some  with  locks,  others  without,  some 
with  only  the  stock,  others  with  only  the  barrel.  Most 
of  the  muskets  found  were  of  the  old  Queen  Anne  pat- 
tern, although  there  were  many  with  percussion  locks ; 
old  horse  pistols,  swords,  and  in  fact,  all  kinds  of 
weapons  were  confiscated  by  us  and  loaded  on  the  cart. 

One  old  woman  in  a house  visited,  had  a squirrel 
rifle,  which  she  said  belonged  to  her  husband.  She 
declared  he  did  fire  it,  but  not  at  our  forces.  “When 
the  rebels  fled  from  the  town,”  said  she,  “my  husband 
fired  after  them  then  leaving  the  gun  in  the  house  had 
gone  to  help  the  Yanks.  Assured  of  the  truthfulness 
of  the  woman’s  story,  the  lieutentant  allowed  her  to 
retain  the  rifle,  and  we  proceeded  on  our  way  to  finish 
the  search.  In  due  time  we  had  visited  all  the  houses 
where  the  lieutenant  had  reason  to  suspect  weapons 
were  concealed,  and  after  completing  our  search,  the 
heterogeneous  mass  of  arms  was  carted  to  the  fort, 
thrown  into  a pile  and  fire  set  to  them.  The  heat 
twisted  and  bent  them  into  all  imaginable  shapes,  totally 
unfitting  them  for  use  as  fire-arms  again.  The  boys 
gathered  many  trophies,  which  the  rebels  had  left  behind 
them  in  their  flight,  among  which  were  several  canteens, 

some  of  them  nearly  full  of  whiskey  and  gunpowder, 
11 


152  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

showing  very  evidently  the  intention  of  making  a des- 
perate fight.  It  was  a bold  dash  of  their  leaders,  but 
just  what  the  object  of  their  raid  was,  puzzled  our  com- 
manders. They  could  not  possibly  hold  the  town 
while  the  gun-boats  were  lying  in  the  river,  and  the 
capture  of  the  place  was  the  only  thing'  of  importance 
for  them  except  that  of  the  fort,  in  which  at  the  time 
there  were  not  many  soldiers. 

In  our  search  for  arms  we  visited  Aunt  Phebe. 
Several  of  the  boys  rushed  into  the  house  while  others 
were  engaged  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and 
demanded  of  her  to  bring  out  all  the  fire-arms  she  had 
concealed  in  her  rooms.  The  astonishment  depicted  on 
her  countenance  as  the  demand  was  made,  to  say'  the 
least,  was  sublimely  ridiculous.  “Come,”  exclaimed 
Bob  Titcomb,  “we  can’t  wait  all  day;  trot  out  your 
arms.  Aunt  Phebe.” 

“Trot  outde  yarms?  What  you  uns  take  me  fo’?  Ise 
got  no  yarms  in  dis  yere  house,  dat  you  know  bery 
well.  Aunt  Phebe  hab  no  yarms  in  de  house  ’cept 
dese  yere^”  she  said,  holding  out  her  two  arms  towards 
us,  either  one  of  them  as  large  and  round  at  the 
shoulder  as  a common  water  pail. 

“O,  come  now,  that  won’t  go  down  with  us.  Aunt 
Phebe,”  exclaimed  Tom  Jencks ; “we  have  it  from  a 
trustworthy  source  that  shots  were  fired  from  your 
‘ house,  or  some  other,  at  our  soldiers  while  passing.” 


( 


^ RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  153 

Ik  ' 

^ ^ ‘‘Bress  yer  heart!  What  dat  yer  saying?  Me 

W 

shooting  at  de  Yanks?  ’Clare  fo’  it,  boys,  ye’ll  brake 
\ ole  Aunty’s  heart  if  you  done  gone  an’  mean  dat.” 

I The  boys  could  not  help  laughing  at  Aunt  Phebe’s 

I gestures  and  exclamations  while  delivering  herself  of 

‘ the  above. 

» \ 

‘‘Come,  are  you  inclined  to  obey  our  commands  or 
not?”  said  Tom  Jencks. 

“O,  g’long  wid  yer,  round  foolin’  all  de  time  I How 
you  spec’s  a pusson  hab  any  respec  fo’  yer  ? Golly  I 
how  dem  rebels  done  hollered.  ’Clare  to  goodness  dey 
most  take  my  breff  away.  Ole  Aunty  hidin’  in  de 
cellar  dar,”  pointing  with  her  finger  at  the  open  cellar 
door.  “1  wan’t  do’en  no  shootin’,  no  indeed  I wan’t. 

If  Aunty  done  want  to  shoot,  she  couldn’t  do  dat,  , 
’cause  dere  am  no  shootin’  i’ns  yere,  dat  am  de  bressed 
truth.  De  Lord  bress  yer,  boys,  I’se  powerful  glad  to 
, see  yer  looking  so  chirck  dis  arternoon  arter  de  fight. 

Ole  Aunty  tought  dat  yer  was  guine  up  when  dat  ar 
’splosion  come.  Fore  de  Lord,  ole  Aunty  git  right 
down  on  her  knees  and  prayed  fo’  her  boys  on  de  gum- 
boats,  dat  de  good  Lord  would  gib  dem  de  proper 
strength  to  bar  dem  fro  de  fite ; an’  here  yer  is  tryin’ 
to  fool  ole  Aunty  ! g’long.” 

“Come,  bear  a hand  there,  and  don’t  stay  all  day 
talking,”  cried  out  the  lieutenant,  and  so  hastily  assur- 

I, 

ing  Aunt  Phebe  that  the  boys  were  all  right,  and  that 


% 


154 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


we  would  come  off  and  tell  lier  all  about  it  in  a few 
days,  we  hastened  to  catch  up  with  the  rest  who  had 
forged  ahead  some  distance  in  advance  while  we  were 
chaffing  Aunt  Phebe. 

After  destroying  all  the  arms  captured,  we  turned 
our  footsteps  in  the  direction  of  the  wharf.  Arriving 
there,  the  lieutenant  hailed  the  ‘‘Louisiana”  and  the 

I 

launch  was  sent  to  take  us  aboard.  I was  completely 
fagged  out  after  the  events  oT  the  day,  and  was  not 
the  last  one  to  seek  my  hammock  when  they  were 
piped  down  that  night. 

A few  days  after  the  events  detailed  in  this  chapter, 
the  soldiers  built  an  abattis  across  all  the  principal 
streets  in  the  town  to  guard  against  another  such  raid 
from  the  rebels. 


I 


GHAPTER  IX. 


EXPEDITION  UP  BLOUNT’S  CREEK. 


IN  the  latter  part  of  November,  we  were  all  mustered 
aft  and  thirty  men  were  chosen  to  accompany  an 
expedition  that  was  to  be  made  up  Blount’s  creek.  As 
usual  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  chosen.  Our 
cavalry  were  on  a raid  through  the  country  round  about 
Edward’s  Mill  and  vicinity,  and  were  expected  back  in 
a day  or  two.  They  were  to  come  to  Blount’s  creek 
and  take  steamer  from  there  to  New  Berne.  They  had 
made  quite  a commotion  in  their  raid  through  North 
Carolina  and  stirred  up  the  rebels  from  all  parts.  As 
the  expedition  was  not  to  start  till  three  o’clock  in  the 
afternoon,  we  had  plenty  of  time  to  prepare  ourselves 
for  it.  I laid  in  a store  of  tobacco,  and  did  not  forget 
the  salt.  Tom  was  also  choosen  to  accompany  the 
expedition.  Mr.  Kelley,  the  carpenter’s  mate,  was  still 
so  sick  that  he  could  not  act  in  that  capacity,  and  I was 
rather  taken  aback,  when  about  nine  o’clock  in  the 
morning.  Lieutenant  Westervelt  called  me  aft  and 
informed  me  that  he  had  concluded,  in  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Kelley,  to  appoint  me  acting  carpenter’s  mate,  and 


/ 


156 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


as  there  was  still  plenty  of  work  on  shore,  such  as 
fitting  up  the  schooner  left  unfinished  on  the  ways  by 
the  rebels,  and  the  building  of  the  blockade  above  the 
bridge  in  Tar  river,  he  said  I might  go  ashore  with  the 
others  that  morning  and  take  charge  of  the  gang.  I 
thanked  him  for  his  kind  offer,  and  told  him  I would 
do  my  best  to  finish  the  work  so  well  begun  by  Mr. 
Kelley,  under  the  superintendency  of  Mr.  Mills  the 
carpenter. 

‘‘Oh,  I have  no  doubt  that  you  will  get  on  finely 
and  accomplish  all  that’s  laid  out  for  you  to  perform,” 
said  the  lieutenant. 

After  being  dismissed  from  his  presence,  I went  for- 
ward to  impart  to  Tomjny  good  luck.  I should  now 
have  plenty  of  time  on  shore,  and  it  would  help  to 
relieve  the  monotony  of  life  on  board  ship,  I thought. 

When  the  boat  went  ashore  that  morning  I went 
in  her.  The  carpenter,  Mr.  Mills,  also  accompanied 
us  to  give  me  instruction  about  the  work.  Arriving 
at  the  place  where  the  blockade  was  building,  Mr.  Mills 
gave  all  the  necessary  instructions  regarding  the  work 
in  progress  and  then  strolled  off  to  the  town.  As  it  is 
necessary  that  I inform  my  readers  why  this  blockade 
was  being  constructed,  I will  now  try  to  explain  it. 
Rumors  came  from  up  the  river  that  a ram  was  in  pro- 
cess of  construction  by  the  rebels  and  would  be  likely 
to  float  down  and  pay  us  a visit  at  almost  any  unseason- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


157 


able  hour.  With  a crew  to  man  a launch  and  a twelve 
pound  howitzer  on  a pivot  at  the  bow,  we  had  made 
many  journeys  up  the  small  creeks  in  the  vicinity  of 
Little  Washington,  in  quest  of  logs  to  build  our  block- 
ade. We  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  all  we  needed 
at  Johnson’s  and  Edward’s  Mills,  on  Blount’s  creek. 
These  logs  had  no  doubt  been  cut  by  the  rebels  for  the 
same  purpose  as  that  for  which  we  now  intended  to  use 
them.  Our  mode  of  operation  was  this : when  we 
came  to  a place  where  logs  were  plentiful,  a working 
party  was  sent  on  shore,  a picket  or  two  thrown  out, 
and  the  launch,  with  men  enough  to  man  the  gun 
anchored  a little  way  from  the  shore,  that  in  .the  event 
of  'an  attack  by  the  rebels,  the  working  party  would 
be  covered  by  the  howitzer.  But  generally  speaking, 
we  had  things  nearly  our  own  way,  for  there  were  but 
few  farmer  guerrillas  living  in  the  vicinity,  and  they 
kept  their  distance.  Now  the  next  thing  was  to  get 
the  logs  to  the  bank  of  the  creek,  which  was  done  by 
part  of  the  workers,  who  rolled  them  to  the  water’s  edge, 

‘ where  another  gang  would  roll  them  into  the  water  and 
pin  them  together  with  wooden  pins,  made  expressly 
for  the  purpose,  on  board  the  ‘‘Louisiana.”  In  this 
manner,  log  on  top  of  log,  we  were  enabled  to  raft  a 
large  number  of  them  at  one  time  to  their  destination 
above  the  bridge,  in  the  Tar  river,  while  the  contra- 
bands enlivened  the  passage  with  many  a jest  and  song. 


158 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


“Way  down  on  de  ole  Tar  ribber, 

rs 

Dereks  where  I was  born ; 

Ole  massa  make  me  work  berry  hard 
A shuckin’  ob  de  corn. 

• 

De  Yankees  come,  old  Massa  run, 

And  lebe  dese  darkies  here ; 

I spec’s  him  neber  come  back  home. 

For  de  Yankees  he  do  fear. 

De  turpentine  am  berry  thick, 

Along  Tar  ribber  shore  : 

De  Yankees  dey  did  burn  um  up, 

Dat  make  old  massa  swar.” 

The  logs  were  now  put  out  lengthwise  into  the  river 
from  the  town  side.  First  two  logs  were  spiked 
together  with  long  iron  spikes  or  iron  pins,  then  a rope 
with  a large  stone  attached  to  serve  as  an  anchor  was 
made  fast  to  the  outer  end  of  the  logs  and  the  anchor 
thrown  out  up  the  river  to  keep  them  in  places  To  the 
end  of  these  two  logs  were  now  fastened  two  more,  and 
so  on  until  they  stretched  across  within  fifty  feet  or 
more  of  the  opposite  shore  in  shoal  water.  We  had  a 
pile  driver  which  the  rebels  had  neglected  to  destroy, 
and  it  was  in  complete  working  order.  With  this  we 
drove  the  piles  into  the  river-bed  on  both  sides  of  the 
logs  which  were  horizontally  laid,  thereby  strengthen- 
ing the  blockade.  I had  four  men  from  the  ‘ ‘Louisiana” 
to  help  me  in  the  work  : Jones,  Holmes,  Bartlett,  and 
another  whose  name  I cannot  now  remember.  Besides 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  159 

these  I had  twelve  contrabands  from  the  shore,  most  of 
them  quite  good  ship  carpenters. 

Mr.  Mills  came  once  in  a while  to  inspect  the  work  and 
see  how  it  progressed,  but  as  a general  thing  it  was  con- 
ducted under  my  direction , although  I think  the  blockade 
was  planned  by  the  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Lay.  It  only 
wanted  a few  more  fine  days  to  complete  it,  as  I found 
upon  my  arrival  on  the  spot.  It  was  quite  cold,  but 
there  was  a negro  hut  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
occupied  by  one  of  our  contrabands,  his  wife  and  two 
children,  and  when  it  became  too  cold  we  were  in  the 
habit  of  resorting  to  this  cabin.  Holmes  and  I,  to  warm 
ourselves.  We  heaped  the  chimney  place  high  up  with 
wood,  and  after  thoroughly  heating  the  room,  threw  off 
our  pea-jackets  and  enjoyed  ourselves  baking  hoe  cakes 
on  a board  before  the  hot  coals.  When  the  cake  was 
baked  we  divided  it,  and  spreading  our  salt  pork  upon 
the  hot  surface,  made  a good,  substantial,  undyspeptic 
meal. 

One  morning,  while  engaged  in  driving  piles  well 
towards  the  other  shore,  the  rebels  came  down  and  fired 
at  us  from  the  bushes  lining  the  bank.  Luckily  none 
of  us  were  hit,  and  our  arms  being  in  the  cabin,  we 
made  a hasty  retreat  towards  our  base,  peppered  by  the 
rebs  from  their  ambush.'  Some  of  our  party  kept  to 
the  logs,  but  others  jumped  overboard  and  with  only 
their  heads  out  of  the  water,  made  their  way,  handover 


160 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


hand,  by  means  of  the  logs,  towards  the  town  side. 
Lieutenant  Westervelt,  on  board  the  ‘‘Louisiana,”  be- 
coming aware  of  our  peril,  trained  the  long  thirty-two 
pounder  on  the  rebel  position,  and  with  a few  well 
directed  shots  sent  them  flying  for  safety  into  the  woods. 

We  were  not  troubled  after  that  although  as  a pre- 
caution we  kept  the  launch  with  the  howitzer  on  deck, 
alongside  the  pile-driver,  while  prosecuting  the  work. 

At  twelve  o’clock,  the  signal  flag  was  hoisted  in  token 
of  the  dinner  hour,  and  after  storing  our  tools  in  the 
hut  on  shore,  we  manned  the  launch  and  rowed  to  the 
“Louisiana.”  The  thoughts  of  the  expedition  up 
Blount’s  creek  after  dinner,  and  the  knowledge  that  I 
was  to  be  one  of  the  party,  kept  my  mind  busy,  and 
when  we  arrived  on  board  I had  almost  forgotten  the 
little  incident  of  the  morning,  but  Tom  brought  it  to 
my  memory  again  by  asking  about  it.  I told  him  just 
how  it  happened. 

“Goodness  gracious  ! did  the  bullets  whistle  any? 
Just  my  luck  not  to  be  there.  The  boys  say,  Steve, 
that  you  didn’t  seem  to  be  in  much  of  a hurry  to  get  on 
shore  out  of  the  way,  but  took  it  cool  as  a cucumber.” 

“Pretty  good  reason  why,”  I replied;  “the  path, 
you  know,  was  pretty  narrow,  only  two  logs  abreast, 
and  every  one  of  the  party  except  those  who  jumped 
overboard,  were  strung  out  towards  the  town  side, 
and  as  I was  the  last  in  the  rear,  I could  not  go  any 


I 


1 KECOLLECTIONS  OP  A SAILOR  BOY.  161 

1 faster  than  those  ahead  of  nnie,  and  as  for  throwing 

I myself  into  the  water,  I never  thought  of  such  a thing. 

^ I have  a particular  aversion  to  taking  to  the  water, 

t especially  when  I have  my  clothes  on.  It  kind  o’ 

made  my  flesh  crawl,  though,  when  the  bullets  were 
zipping  around,  and  to  tell  the  truth,  Tom,  I expected 
any  moment  that  I should  be  hit,  and  I did  not  exactly 
relish  the  idea  of  bearing  a scar  which  I wouldn’t  be 
proud  to  show  the  fellows  if  I survived  the  war. 

“No  scars  for  me,  Steve,  thank  you,  I shall  be  just 
as  proud  without  them,  and  I can  tell  the  boys  at 
home  how  it  might  have  been.  I can  tell  them,  you 
know,  that  I was  present  once  in  a while  when  the 

rebels  were  real  busy,  and  that  my  chances  were  just  as 

\ 

good  as  any  of  you  to  stop  a bullet.  Still  they  are 
liable  to  mar  my  beauty  yet  before  the  cruise  is  up.” 

“I  hope  not,  Tom,  as  you  cannot  spare  much  of 
your  beauty,  as  you  call  it,  without  suffering  in  the 
estimation  of  the  fair  sex.” 

The  boatswain’s  whistle  put  an  end  to  our  conver- 
sation, and  we  hastened  below  to  our  dinner.  After 
having  fortified  ourselves  with  salt  junk  and  cold  coffee, 
we  ascended  to  the  main  deck  to  watch  for  the  steamer 
that  was  to  take  us  to  Blount’s  creek.  About  three 
o’clock,  she  was  descried  coming  up  the  river  and  then 
the  bustle  of  preparation  commenced.  We  were  all 
ready  to  embark  when  she  steamed  up  alongside,  the 


162  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.- 

‘‘Louisiana.”  She  proved  to  be  a stern-wheeler,  and 
in  a short  time  after  making  fast  to  us,  we  were  on 
board  of  her.  Our  boat  howitzer  was  taken  from  the 
forcastle  deck  of  the  “Louisiana”  and  mounted  on 
wheels  and  located  on  the  forward  deck.  In  a few 
minutes  after,  the  order  came  to  cast  off,  and  we 
steamed  away  down  Tar  river.  With  the  crew  of  the 
steamer  we  mustered  forty  men. 

It  was  dark  when  we  arrived  oflp  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  but  we  pushed  on  some  distance  before  coming 
to  an  anchor,  which  we  at  last  did  several  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  creek  and  Pamlico  sound.  Soon 
after  dropping  our  anchor,  all  hands  were  called  to 
supper.  Pork,  hard-tack  and  tea,  as  usual,  constituted 
our  meal,  after  which  a watch  was  set  and  the  rest  of 
the  crew  enjoyed  themselves  smoking  and  telling 
yarns  till  bed-time.  At  daybreak,  we  hove  our  anchor 
short  and  continued  our  way  up  the  creek.  A small 
house  was  noticed  situated  back  from  the  stream  and 
about  a half  mile  away.  The  steamer  was  stopped,  a 
boat  was  manned  and  sent  on  shore  to  ascertain 
whether  there  were  any  rebs  about.  There  were  four 
of  us  in  the  boat.  When  we  reached  the  land,  Tom 
was  left  in  charge  of  it  while  the  rest  of  us  proceeded 
towards  the  house.  Upon  arriving  there,  we  could  see 
no  signs  of  life,  and  the  master’s  mate,  Mr.  McKeever, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  expedition,  knocked  at  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


163 


door,  lifted  the  latch,  and  walked  in.  A rusty  stove 
met  our  gaze  on  entering,  and,  as  there  was  every 
appearance  of  a fire  having  recently  been  burning  in  it, 
we  knew  that  the  house  had  been  lately  occupied.  Our 
next  work  was  to  look  for  the  late  occupants.  We 
called  aloud  for  them  to  come  out  and  show  themselves, 
but  not  a sound  reached  our  ears.  I pushed  open  a 
door  leading  from  the  apartment  we  had  just  entered, 
and  discovered  a woman  and  three  children  cowering  in 
one  corner  of  the  room.  Mr.  McKeever  spoke  to  them 
in  a kindly  tone,  and  assured  the  woman  that  she  had 
nothing  to  fear,  as  we  never  harmed  women.  She  then 
arose  from  her  crouching  position  and  timidly  ap- 
proached us.  ‘‘Oh,  sirs,”  she  said,  “you  will  not 
harm  my  children  ? ” 

“Harm  your  children  ! Bless  your  soul  ! I have 
children  of  my  own,”  said  one  of  the  seamen,  “we  are 
looking  for  rebels.  Have  you  seen  any  about  here, 
lately  ?” 

“Yes,  only  yesterday  ten  rebel  calvary-men  were 
here,”  she  answered,  “they  ate  up  everything  they 
could  find  in  the  house,  and  only  for  some  bacon  that  I 
had  buried  in  the  garden  my  children  would  have  been 
without  anything  to  eat  now.”  ^ 

“Where  is  your  husband?” 

“He  is  in  the  Confederate  army.” 


164 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


“Oh,  indeed,”  said  Mr.  McKeever,  “what  regi- 
ment, pray?” 

“He  is  in  the  Thirty-second  North  Carolina  volun- 
teers, company  K,”  said  the  woman. 

“I  am  sorry  he  is  not  fighting  in  a better  cause,” 
said  Mr.  McKeever,  “but  we  will  not  discuss  that 
matter  now.  By  your  looks,  madam,  and  your  sur- 
roundings, I should  say  that  you  have  experienced  hard 
times  since  the  war  beo;an.” 

“Indeed,  I have  sir;  we,  myself  and  children,  have 
gone  supperless  to  bed  many  times  since  the  beginning 
of  this  terrible  war.  Your  people  at  home  little  know 
what  we  uns  have  to  suffer  for  the  bare  necessaries  of 
life,  when  armies  of  both  friend  and  foe  ride  rough 
shod  through  the  land.” 

“It’s  very  hard  for  you,  madam,  but  let  me  assure 
you,  that  we,  by  our  presence  here  to-day,  will  not 
cause  you  or  your  children  any  unnecessary  trouble  or 
inconvenience.” 

The  children  were  pretty  little  midgets,  the  oldest 
not  more  than  eight  years  of  age,  while  the  youngest 
could  not  have  seen  more  than  three  summers.  All 
were  dressed  in  the  plainest  of  garments  and  the  wor- 
ried look  upon  their  countenances  bespoke  the  fear  and 
trials  that  they  had  undergone. 

Bidding  the  woman  be  of  good  cheer,  Mr.  Mc- 
Keever ofave  the  order  for  the  return  to  the  steamer. 

o 


165 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

Arriving  on  board,  Mr.  McKeever  reported  what  he 
had  seen  and  heard  at  the  house,  and  as  we  had  an 
ample  supply  of  hard-tack  on  board,  he  obtained  per- 
mission to  take  a portion  of  it  to  the  woman,  and  it  was 
a pleasure  for  me,  who  accompanied  him,  to  ;see  the 
children  eat  the  bread,  to  say  nothing  of  the  gratitude 
of  their  mother  for  our  liberal  supply.  I also  carried 
them  some  coffee,  tea  and  salt,  and  if  this  ever  meets 
the  eye  of  the  , officer  in  command  I hope  he  will  forgive 
me  for  foraging  the  coffee  and  tea,  as  we  ran  short 
of  these  articles  before  our  return  to  Little  Washington, 
and  no  reason  was  assigned  for  the  leakage,  for  appar- 
ently we  started  with  enough  and  to  spare  of  that  com- 
modity. After  we  had  arrived  on  board  again,  we 
steamed  up  the  creek  to  Edward’s  Mill,  where  we  ran 
inshore  and  made  fast.  We  then  ran  our  howitzer 
ashore,  and  started  up  the  road  leading  from  the  land- 
ing. Our  object  was  to  thoroughly  reconnoitre  the 

I 

country  about  Edward’s  Mill,  to  ascertain  whether  there 
were  any  rebels  about,  and  also  to  give  people  in  that 
vicinity  to  understand  that  they  were  watched.  We 
marched  silently  along,  fifteen  men  in  all,  the  remain- 
der of  our  number  bein^  left  on  board  the  steamer  with 

I 

orders  to  haul  out  into  the  stream,  anchor  and  await 
our  return.  Houses  were  quite  plentifully  distributed 
along  our  line  of  march,  and  we  paid  them  a visit 
occasionally.  Women  and  children  alone  were  to  be 


166 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


secR  and  they  were  very  polite  to  us.  Some  of  the 
women  expressed  a hope  to  see  the  stars  and  stripes 
wave  in  North  Carolina,  and  the  good  old  times  revive 
aorain . 

O 

About  five  miles  from  Edward’s  Mill  we  stopped  at 
a house  where  lived  a noted  rebel.  TTe  explored  the 
premises,  but  found  no  one  at  home,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  old  negroes.  We  helped  ourselves  to  some 
chickens  running  around  loose,  but  disturbed  nothing 
in  the  house.  The  contrabands  told  us  that  a squad  of 
rebel  cavalry-men  had  visited  the  house  in  the  early 
morning,  and  had  gone  up  the  road,  promising  when 
they  left  to  return  again  very  soon.  So  we  took  up 
our  line  of  march  for  the  creek  again.  We  stopped 
on  our  return  at  the  house  of  another  rebel,  and  found 
it  occupied  by  three  women.  We  were  in  want  of  a 
few  more  chickens,  so  Mr.  McKee ver  offered  them  one 
dollar  for  six,  an  offer  that  was  refused  with  great  in- 
dignation. Our  only  alternative  then  was  to  help  our- 
selves, which  we  accordingly  did,  the  women  in  the 
meantime  callino:  us  evervthino:  but  the  ri^ht  names. 
With  a cutlass  in  one  hand,  and  two  hens  and  a rooster 
in  the  other,  I was  passing  before  the  door  where  stood 
the  aforesaid  women,  when  one  of  them  in  a sarcastic 
tone  of  voice  said : 

“ You^re  a Yanlcee^  I know  !” 

“Yes,  and  I am  proud  of  it,  too,”  I replied,  “and 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  167 

there’s  your  pay  for  the  chickens,”  I continued,  throw- 
ing down  a one  dollar  bill  and  pushing  a stone  on  it 
with  my  foot  to  keep  the  wind  from  blowing  it  away. 

There  was  a well  of  water  in  one  corner  of  the  yard, 
and  as  we  were  pretty  thirsty  after  our  long  tramp  and 
our  chase  after  the  poultry,  we  prepared  to  help  our- 
selves to  a draught  of  it.  As  we  drew  up  a bucket- 
ful one  of  the  women  exclaimed  : 

“Oh,  how  I wish  that  that  water  was  poisoned  !” 
“Perhaps  it  is,”  said  Tom.  ' 

“Well,  here’s  a go,  any  way,”  said_  Jimmy  Wilkin- 
son, an  Englishman  ; “you  all  wait  five  minutes  after 
I have  finished  drinking,  and  if  it  don’t  fix  me,  then 
you  go  ahead  and  drink  your  fill.” 

Even  the  women,  who  were  watching  us  from  the 
house,  could  not  suppress  a smile  at  this,  and  when 
the  five  minutes  had  expired,  we  each  and  all  took  a 
good  draft  from  the  old  oaken  bucket. 

Again  we  took  up  our  line  of  march,  and  as  we 
started  out  the  women  cried  after  us:  “Your  masters 
will  be  after  you  soon but  as  we  had  become  tired 
of  waiting  for  them,  we  kept  on  the  even  tenor  of  our 
way.  We  arrived  in  due  time  at  the  ferry  and  signaled 
the  steamer  to  come  inshore  and  were  soon  on  board 
again.  We  then  steamed  down  the  creek  and  across 
to  the  other  shore,  where  we  expected  to  find  the 


12 


168 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


cavalry.  We  ran  in  close  to  the  land  and  came  to  an 
anchor.  During  the  night  we  heard  firing  up  the 
creek,  but  were  not  called  out.  The  next  day  twenty 
men  were  sent  on  shore,  but  were  not  allowed  to  go 
out  of  sight  of  the  steamer.  We  enjoyed  ourselves 
during  the  day  looking  around,  and  cooked  our  chickens 
in  every  way  that  was  suggested  by  the  boys.  Some 
time  in  the  night  the  cavalry  arrived  with  a number  of 
captured  horses  and  rebel  prisoners.  The  soldiers  and 
their  steeds  were  completely  fagged  out.  Throwing 
themselves  from  their  horses’  backs  they  lay  right 
down  on  the  wet  ground  to  enjoy  a little  sleep,  while 
the  poor  animals  stood  about  with  drooping  heads  and 
dejected  mien,  occasionally  moving  about  among  the 
sleeping  men,  but  very  carefully,  so  as  not  to  disturb 
their  slumbers.  The  prisoners  were  confined  in  a log 
cabin  near  the  bank  of  the  creek,  and  the  seamen  stood 
guard  over  them  until  daylight,  when  the  cavalry-men 
were  rafted  off  to  a steamer  that  had  arrived  some 
time  during  the  night  to  convey  them  to  New  Berne. 
We  then  boarded  the  little  stern-wlieeler,  the  anchor 
was  weighed,  and  we  proceeded  on  our  way  to  Little 
Washington.  On  our  return  passage,  we  skirted  the 
bank  of  the  right  hand  side  of  Blount’s  creek,  keep- 
ing so  close  to  it  at  times  that  one  could  with  but  little 
effort  have  jumped  on  shore,  which  in  the  main  looked 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


169 


inviting  enough  to  have  made  it  a reasonable  excuse 

/ 

for  so  doing.  When  about  three  miles  from  the  mouth 

/ 

of  the  creek,  a schooner  was  discovered  lying  in  another 
small  stream,  an  offshoot  from  Blount’s  creek,  close 
in  shore  and  nearly  hidden  by  the  bushes  lining  the 
bank.  Our  officer  in  command  gave  directions  to  the 
pilot  to  steer  for  the  vessel,  which  he  did  at  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  mentioned.  The  lead  was  ordered 
to  be  thrown  and  marked  six  feet.  ‘‘Stop  her,”  rang 
the  pilot  from  the  pilot  house.  “We  can  go  no  further 
in  the  steamer,  sir,”  said  he. 

“Very  well,”  said  Mr.  McKeever,  “man  the  boats,” 
and ‘the  crews  of  the  two  boats  clambiered  down  the  side 
of  the  steamer  into  them,  and  in  a few  moments  we  were 
rowing  up  the  creek  towards  the  schooner.  Upon 
arriving  where  she  lay,  we  climbed  on  board  and 
found  her  deserted.  She  was  imbedded  in  the  mud, 
with  a hole  stove  in  her  port  bow.  Upon  examination 
of  her  it  was  deemed  useless  by  our  officers  to  undertake 
. to  raise  her.  . She  had  evidently  been  run  in  where  we 
found  her  some  dark  night,  her  cargo,  whatever  it 
might  have  consisted  of,  transported  from  her  hold  to 
the  shore,  a hole  stove  in  her  bow,  and  she  left  to  her 
fate.  Mr.  McKeever  finished  the  work  begun  by  the 
rebels,  by  setting  fire  to  her,  and  as  the  last  man  left 
her  deck,  the  flames  shot  their  fiery  tongues  greedily  up 


170 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


through  the  open  hatchways,  communicating  with  the 
rigging  and  the  schooner  was  soon  in  a sheet  of  flame, 
while  the  smoke  rolled  off*  to  leeward  like  a murky 
cloud,  obscuring  the  sun’s  rays,  and  altogether  making 
the  scene  an  impressive  one.  It  seemed  too  bad  to  be 
obliged  to  destroy  so  fine  a vessel,  but  then  we  had  not 
the  time  or  the  means  to  raise  her,  even  if  it  had  been 
possible  to  do  so.  We  regained  our  steamer  and  board- 
ing her  were  soon  under  way  for  Little  Washington. 

As  we  rounded  the  point  on  the  opposite  shore,  I 
gave  one  last  look  back,  and  saw  the  tall  masts  go  by 
the  board,  while  a myriad  of  sparks  shot  up  into  the 
air,  and  it  reminded  me  of  the  last  of  some  great,  set 
piece  of  fireworks  I had  seen  on  the  cove  promenade  on 
Fourth  of  July  night  at  home.  It  was  quite  dark  when 
we  reached  the  mouth  of  Blount’s  creek  and  entered 
Pamlico  Sound.  The  old  steamer  crawled  along,  the 
smoke  from  her  stack  blowing  to  leeward,  while  the  old 
stern-wheel  pounding  the  water,  left  a foamy  wake 
behind  us  that  was  discernible  quite  a distance  in  the 
gathering  darkness.  Cold  chicken,  left  over  from  yes- 
terday’s cooking,  was  the  order  of  the  evening,  and  we 
enjoyed  ourselves  hugely  while  the  old  craft  ploughed 
along  towards  our  destination.  Eight  bells,  midnight, 
struck  on  the  ‘‘Louisiana”  as  we  glided  up  alongside  of 
her,  though  it  was  a good  two  hours  afterwards  before 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


171 


I saw  a chance  to  turn  into  my  hammock,  and  then  I 
lay  another  hour  thinking  of  the  exciting  scenes  we  had 
passed  through.  While  the  watch  was  striking  six 
bells,  and  before  the  last  clang  died  out,  I fell  asleep. 


GRAPTCR  X. 


•— 

LAUNCH  OF  THE  SCHOONER  RENSHAW. 

The  blockade  being  finished  we  turned  our 
attention  to  the  schooner  on  the  ways.  The 
rebs  when  they  evacuated  Little  AYashington,  left 
behind  them  on  the  stocks  in  the  ship  yard,  the  hull 
of  a schooner,  new  and  partly  built.  Commander 
Renshaw  decided  to  have  the  vessel  completed,  so 

one  day  he  ordered  the  carpenter  ashore  to  examine 

» 

her  condition  and  determine  whether  it  would  be  practi- 
cable to  go  on  with  the  work.  Mr.  Mills,  acting  upon 
the  suggestion,  proceeded  to  the  shore  and  made  a thor- 
ough examination  of  the  hull  of  the  schooner  and  upon 
his  return,  pronounced  her  all  right  and  received  orders 
to  go  on  and  finish  her.  This  was  some  days  before 
the  blockade  was  commenced,  and  the  carpenter  with  the 
gang  had  nearly  completed  her,  when  he  was  ordered 
to  knock  oflT  work  on  the  vessel,  and  put  the  whole 
gang  to  work  building  the  blockade.  I had  seen  the  hull 
of  the  schooner  several  times,  when  on  shore  on  liberty 
days,  but  had  never  been  on  board  of  her  until  the 
morning  we  all  set  out  for  the  ship  yard.  Arriving 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  173 

there,  Mr.  Mills  instructed  me. in  regard  to  my  duties 
and  then  left  me  in  charge.  The  work  progressed 
finely,  while  day  after  day  saw  the  schooner  assume 
shape  and  proportions.  Mr.  Mills,  whenever*  he  visited 
the  ship  yard,  seemed  delighted  with  the  progress  made 
and  complimented  the  workers  for  their  industry.  One 
morning  soon  after  we  had  commenced  our  work  on  the 
schooner,  Tom,  who  was  on  shore  on  liberty,  came 
into  the  ship  yard  with  a letter  in  his  hand,  for  me. 
He  handed  the  letter  up  to  me  on  the  staging.  I in- 
vited him  to  come  on  board  and  hear  it  read.  He  at 
once  clambered  up  the  ladder  on  to  the  staging,  and  we 
both  climbed  over  the  side  of  the  schooner  upon  the  deck 
and  seated  ourselves  on  two  blocks  of  wood,  while  I 
examined  the  inscription  on  the  envelope. 

“Phil’s  writing,  Tom,”  I said. 

“Well,  open  it  Steve,  and  let’s  find  out  where  he  is, 
and  what  he  is  about,”  replied  Tom,  “I’m  glad  it’s 
from  him,  for  to  tell  the  truth,  Steve,  I had  begun  to 
feel  worried  about  him.” 

“So  had  I,  Tom,  but  I took  good  care  not  to  mention 
it  to  you.” 

Opening  the  letter  I read  it  aloud  very  much  to 
Tom’s  satisfaction,  judging  by  his  frequent  ejaculations. 
When  I had  nearly  finished  the  reading,  Tom  jumped 
from  the  block  and  executed  a pigeon  wing  on  the  deck 
and  then  the  sailor’s  hornpipe,  very  much  to  the  edifi- 


174 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


cation  of  the  darkies,  who  all  stopped  in  their  labors 
and  with  mouth  and  eyes  wide  open,  and  many  a loud 
guffaw,  manifested  their  appreciation.  After  all  had 
resumed  work,  and  Tom  was  once  more  seated  beside 
me,  I finished  the  reading  of  the  epistle,  and  as  it  was 
a very  interesting  letter  I will  let  my  readers  know  the 
contents  too. 

Phil  wrote  from  the  Potomac  where  he  was  stationed 
for  the  present,  he  said,  in  the  schooner  ‘‘Racer”  of 
*the  mortar  fieet  : 

“We  are  having  lively  times  with  smugglers,  obliged 
to  be  out  in  small  boats  sometimes  all  night,  on  the 
watch  for  them.  Oftentimes  they  are  captured  by  us 
or  some  other, boat’s  crew,  and  their  stock  of  tea, 
coffee,  salt  and  the  numerous  other  commodities  with 
which  their  boats  are  laden,  and  with  which  they  ex- 
pected to  tickle  the  palates  of  the  Johnnie  rebs,  are  con- 
fiscated by  the  government.  I missed  you  and  Tom 
very  much  at  first,  but  have  recovered  from  that  now, 
have  chosen  a chum  for  the  time  being,  and  am  as  happy 
as  can  be  expected  under  the  circumstances.  We  had 
an  all-night  job  on  the  21st  inst.  lying  in  wait  for  a 
boat  that  was  expected  to  attempt  to  cross  the  Potomac 
that  night,  freighted  with  tobacco,  cigars,  whiskey,  cot- 
ton-cloth, and  salt.  Our  captain  was  informed  of  this 
by  a man  of  great  reliability.  The  boat  was  to  be 
manned  by  Jews,  he  said.  All  night  we  lay  on  our 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


175 


oars  secreted  in  a little  cove  near  the  bank  of  the  Poto- 
mac, where  they  were  expected  to  land.  It  was  nearly 
break  of  day,  but  still  very  dark ; one  could  scarcely 
see  a fathom  either  way  he  looked.  It  must  have  been 
nearly  three  o’clock  when  w^e  heard  a slight  noise  like 
the  dipping  of  oars  in  the  water.  It  was  of  the  faintest 
kind,  but  our  ears  were  trained  to  catch  the  slightest 
sound.  ‘The  dip  of  oars  it  certainly  is,’  said  Mr. 
Brady,  our  master’s  mate,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
boat.  Again  was  heard  the  same  kind  of  sound.  Mr. 
Brady  now  cautioned  us  in  a hoarse  whisper  to  get 
ready  and  be  very  careful  not  to  make  any  unnecessary 
noise.  Their  oars  could  now  be  heard  plainly  in  the 
water  on  our  port  quarter  and  not  more  than  two  or 
three  fathoms  away.  At  this  juncture,  Mr.  Brady,  in 
a low  tone  of  voice,  gave  the  command,  ‘Oars  ;’  then 
‘Give  way,  my  men,’  and  with  a few  well-directed 
sweeps  of  our  oars,  we  shot  out  into  the  river  and  dis- 
cerned the  smuggler’s  boat  close  aboard  of  us.  So  close 
w^ere  we,  in  fact,  that  we  barely  escaped  a collision  with 
them.  Realizing  that  they  had  fallen  into  a trap,  the 
smugglers  bent  to  their  oars,  heading  their  boat  down 
stream,  but  without  avail,  for  we  were  so  near  them 
that  our  bowman  dropped  his  oar  inboard ; then  seizing 
the  boat-hook  grappled  on  to  the  thwart  of  the  stern 
sheets  of  the  smugglers’  boat,  and  in  a moment  more 
we  were  alongside.  Opening  the  slides  of  our  dark 


176 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


lanterns,  which  showed  them  up  plainly  by  the  light  they 
threw,  at  the  same  time  we  brandished,  our  cut- 
lasses in  their  faces.  Mr.  Brady,  in  a voice  of  thun- 
der, ordered  them  to  surrender,  which  at  first  they  did 
not  seem  inclined  to  do. 

“ ‘Shoot  the  first  man  that  offers  resistance,’ shouted 
Mr.  Brady,  and  at  the  same  time  he  sprang  into  the 
smuggler’s  boat  and  struck  down  a man  who  seemed  to 
be  the  leader  j and  who  made  a pass  at  him  with  a huge 
knife.  We  covered  them  with  our  rifles  now  and 
threatened  to  shoot  the  first  man  that  raised  a hand. 
Seeing  it  was  useless  on  their  part  to  prolong  the  con- 
test with  the  odds  so  largely  against  them,  they  reluc- 
tantly laid  town  their  arms,  which  were  at  once  trans- 
ferred to  our  boat. 

“Never  was  a surprise  more  complete.  If  they  had 
had  an  even  chance,  and  had  not  been  taken  by  sur- 
prise, it  is  doubtful  in  my  mind  whether  I should  have 
been  living  now  to  write  about  it.  Putting  two  of  our 
fellows  in  the  stern  sheets  of  the  smugglers’  boat,  with 
the  light  of  our  lanterns  shining  in  their  faces,  we  took 
them  in  tow,  and  rowed  with  a will  for  our  schooner  up 
the  river,  a distance  of  about  two  miles.  The  smugglers 
kept  a sullen  silence  during  our  row  back  to  the  schooner, 
which  we  reached  after  hard  pulling.  Upon  overhaul- 
ing the  prize,  we  found  that  we  had  secured  quite  a 
cargo  of  cigars,  tobacco,  salt  and  numerous  other  arti- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


177 


cles,  which  the  rebs  would  have  been  overjoyed  to  get. 

The  smugglers  were  ordered  out  of  their  boat  to  the 

/ 

schooner,  and  then  confined  in  the  hole,  and  the  next 
day  they  were  sent  on  shore  under  a strong  guard  and 
delivered  to  the  proper  authorities.  This  has  taken  up 
so  much  space  in  my  letter  that  I shall  have  to  con- 
clude now  by  wishing  you  a safe  return  home  after  the 
expiration  of  your  term  of  service. 

‘‘Well  and  heartv, 

“P.  M.  Blanding, 

“On  board  the  U.  S.  Schooner  ‘Racer,’  Potomac 
Flotilla,  Washington',  D.  C. 

“February  29,  1863.” 

“Well,”  said  Tom,  “Phil  writes  a good  letter  and  I 
shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  him  again.  He  must  have 
some  pretty  exciting  times  down  there  as  well  as  our- 
selves. Do  you  know,  Steve,”  he  continued,  “that  I 
was  thinking  when  I came  into  the  yard  that  you  were 
quite  a young  man  to  be  put  in  boss  over  so  many 
older  men,  and  I thought  I should  consider  it  a big 
compliment  bestowed  upon  me  if  I was  in  your  place.” 

“Well,  Tom,  I am  proud  to  think  that  the  lieuten- 
ant should  choose  me,  out  of  so  many  on  the 
“Louisiana”  to  superintend  this  job.  I appre- 
ciate his  kindness  to  me,  and  try  hard  not  only  to 
please  him  in  what  I do,  but  endeavor  to  have  the 
others  please  him,  too.”  / 


178  KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

ft 

“There’s  one  thing  about  it,  Steve,  you  don’t  put  on 
any  airs  over  the  boys  because  you  happen  to  get 
rated  above  them,  and  they  respect  you  the  more  for 
that.  I have  heard  but  one  man  or  boy  saV  any  thinof 
against  you,  and  you  know  whom  I mean.” 

“Well,  I can  guess  pretty  nigh,  Tom,  who‘  that  one 
is.  The  first  two  letters  of  his  name  are  Bill  Lano;.” 
“Ha  ! ha  ! ” laughed  Tom,  and  then  he  added,  “Yes, 
that’s  the  sneak,  Steve,  and  it’s  a wonder  to  me  and 
the  other  boys  that  you  have  not  had  a fight  with  him 
ere  this.  He’s  a big  sneak,  and  he  knows  you  won’t 
fi^ht  him,  and  that’s  the  reason  he  takes  advantage  of 
you  to  insult  you  the  way  he  does  behind  yonr  back, 
and  to  your  face  for  that  matter.” 

“Well,  Tom,  I don’t  mean  to  disgrace  myself  in  tlie 
the  eyes  of  Mr.  Westervelt  if  I can  possibly  help  it,  by 
entering  into  a quarrel  with  such  a fellow  as  Bill  Lang. 
I have  tried  hard  to  make  him  see  that  I am  ready  to 
help  him  in  anything  that’s  right,  but  I have  about 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  no  use  for  me  to  waste 
any  more  time  on  him.  I do  not  pretend  to  be  one  of 
your  goody  goodies  that  never  do  wrong ; some  time  in 
the  future,  if  patience  ceases  to  be  a virtue  with 
me,  why,  then  let  Bill  Lang  look  out  for  himself,  that’s 
all.  But  it  will  be  something  besides  his  hateful  words 
that  will  cause  me  to  forget  myself  so  much  as  to  give 
him  what  he  deserves — a thrashing.  Ever  since  I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


179 


thwarted  him  in  his  villianons  scheme  of  robbing  old 
Hoxie,  out  at  Red  hill,  of  his  gold  watch,  he  has  had 
it  in  for  me.” 

‘‘How  is  it,  Steve,  that  you  have  kept  the  secret  so 
close  about  the  affair  at  Red  hill,  and  not  even  told 
me  about  it?  When  I have  questioned  you  about  it 
you  have  turned  me  off  with  some  evasive  answer.” 

“I  will  tell  you  all  about  it  now,  Tom,  as  I have 
plenty  of  time,  and  it  is,  not  a very  long  story.  You 
see  it  happened  in  this  way  : Old  Hoxie  lives,  as  you 
know,  at  Red  hill  just  outside  the  lines.  He  is  a good 
Union  man,  keeps  our  officers  posted  as  to  the 
movements  of  the  rebels,  and  comes  into  town  every 
day  to  gossip  with  his  many  friends,  and  telL  and 
hear  the  latest  news.  He  was  in  town  one  day  when 
Bill  and  I happened  to  be  on  shore  on  liberty.  I was 
just  thinking  of  some  excuse  to  get  rid  of  Lang,  when 
along  came  old  Hoxie.  Bill  stopped  him  and  asked 
him  the  time  of  day.  Hoxie  obligingly  pulled  out  his 
watch,  an  old-fashioned,  but  very  valuable  one,  and 
told  us.  When  the  old  man  had  gone  some  distance 
from  us  Bill  said,  ‘We  can  have  that  old  duffer’s  watch 
just  as  easy  as  rolling  off  a log.’  I turned  and  looked 
at  Bill  in  astonishment.  I knew  him  to  be  a sneak 
and  a coward,  but  did  not  think  him  capable  of  com- 
mitting a robbery.  Perhaps  he  did  not  mean  anything, 
at  any  rate  I meant  to  find  out  his  drift,  and  so 


180 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


turning  [to  [him  I said,  ‘What  do  you  mean  by  that 
Bill?  Are  you  going  to  buy  it^  Perhaps  he  will  not 
sell  it,  as  it  is  a very  valuable  one.’ 

“ ‘Well,  you  can  bet  your  bottom  dollar,  Steve,  that 
it’s  worth  lots  of  money.  Why,  that  ’ere  watch  cost  at 
least  $400.  Am  I going  for  to  buy  it,  did  yer  say?’ 
and  Bill  stuck  his  tongue  in  his  left  cheek,  cocked  one 
eye,  and  leered  into  my  face  with  what  he  probably 
thought  a very  comical  grimace  ; then  straightening  out 
his  face  again,  he  said,  ‘Look  here,  Steve,  you  know 
that  I ain’t  got  no  money  for  to  buy  that  watch.’ 

“ ‘How  are  you  going  to  get  it  then,  if  you  have  no 
money?  Do  you  mean  to  steal  it?’ 

“ ‘Well,  now  come,  that’s  putting  it  too  hard, 
Steve  ; there  ain’t  no  stealing  about  it.  I’ll  tell  yer  how 
it  can  be  done.  All’s  fair  in  love  and  war  ; least  ways 
so  goes  the  old  saying,  and  I think  old  Hoxie  a d — m 
rebel  spy,  and  there  ain’t  captains  enough  in  the  Amer- 
ican navy  to  make  me  believe  otherwise.  They  allow 
him  to  mix  in,  and  the  officers  laugh  at  his  funny  talk, 

and  all  the  time  the  d d old  cuss  is  pulling  the  wool 

over  our  eyes.  Now,  you’ll  see  sometime  if  it  ain’t  so.’ 
“ ‘Well,’  said  I,  ‘why  don’t  you  come  to  the  point 
at  once  and  tell  me  how  you  are  to  get  the  watch,  and 
don’t  beat  about  the  bush  any  longer  ?’ 

“ ‘That’s  the  most  sensible  thing  that  I have  heard 
you  say  yet,’  said  Bill. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


181 


‘‘I  could  have  knocked  him  down  with  a good  grace 
as  he  uttered  the  last  remark,  but  then  I could  not  have 
found  out  his  plans,  so  I merely  said  ‘Well.’ 

“ ‘Its  just  here,’  he  continued  ; ‘you  know  when  the 
old  fellow’s  at  work — and  he’s  pretty  busy  just  now 
with  his  ploughing — he  don’t  have  the  ticker  along 
with  him,  you  bet ; now  it’s  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world  for  us  to  go  out  there  some  fine  day.  We  can 
tuck  our  collars  down  our  .backs  and  otherwise  dis- 
guise ourselves,  and  if  the  old  man  happens  to  be  out 
in  the  field  at  work,  we  can  enter  the  house  and  ask 
for  a drink  of  apple-jack.  That’ll  send  the  old  gal, 
that’s  his  wife,  down  cellar  to  get, it  for  us;  then  all 
we’ve  got  to  do  is  to  lock  her  down  there,  go 
through  the  house  and  get  the  watch,  and  I think  the 
old  fellow  has  money,  and  if  so,  we  can  soon  find  out 
where  it  is  hid.  We’ll  take  it,  if  we  find  it,  and  whack 
it  up  between  us  and  make  for  the  ship,  get  on  board, 
and^  hide  the  swag  away  till  the  storm  blows  over. 
Then  we  can  borrow  a little  at  a time  when  we  want 
to  go  on  shore,  and  live  like  fighting  cocks.’ 

“Why,  Tom,  the  audacity  of  the  villain  almost  took 
my  breath  away  as  he  rolled  off  the  plan  to  me.  To 
encourage  him  to  proceed,  I said  to  him,  ‘What  will 
you  do  with  the  watch  ? There  are  no  pawnshops  in 
Little  Washington'.’ 

“‘Oh,'  we’ll  hide  that  till  such  times  as  some  of 


182 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


the  boy’s  term  of  service  has  expired,  then  we’ll  strike 
up  a bargain  with  some  one  of  them,  and  sell  him  the 
watch  for  a good  price.  What  say  you?  Will  ye  jine 

me  ? Do  ve  catch  on  ? ’ 

•/ 

‘‘I  hated  even  for  one  moment  to  lend’ myself  to 
the  villainous  plot  so  glibly  set  forth  by  the  ras- 

I 

cal,  but"!  was  bound  to  frustrate  his  design,  so  I 
seemed  to  fall  in  with  all  his  plans,  and  before  I got  rid 
of  him,  Tom,  a day  was  set  to  carry  them  into  effect. 
When  I returned  to  the  ‘Louisiana,’  that  afternon,  I 

V 

managed  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  Bill  long  enough  to 
gain  an  audience  with  one  of  my  superior  officers,  and 
to  him  I unfolded  the  whole  plot.  He  pricked  up  his 
ears  as  I came  to  the  interesting  part  where  he  was  to* 
lock  the  old  man’s  wife  in  the  cellar.  When  I finished 
the  story,  he  told  me  to  enter  into  all  his  plans, 
meet  him  on  the  day  set  for  the  robbery,  and  go  with 
him  out  there,  and  in  the  meantime  he  would  acquaint 
Mr.  Hoxie  of  the  plot,  so  that  he  would  be  away  on 
the  day  in  question.  He  would  also  inform  Hoxie’s 
wife  and  let  her  into  the  secret  so  that  there  need  be  no 
trouble  about  her  entering  the  cellar  in  quest  of  the 
apple  jack,  and  the  officer  feaid  that  he  would  be  on 
hand  in  one  of  the  rooms  with  a couple  of  men  he  knew 
that  he  could  rely  upon  and  trust  to  keep  the  secret. 
And  then  I was  to  let  Lang  go  ahead  and  do  all  the 
searching,  in  which  he  was  an  adept,  as  I soon  found 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  183 

/ 

out,  and  when  he  got  fairly  at  work,  and  had  the  cov- 
eted watch  in  his  hand — the  watch  was  laid  purposely 
in  the  top  bureau  drawer — the  oflGicer  would  step  out 
and  capture  us  both,  so  that  Bill  would  have  no  suspi- 
cion that  I gave  the  job  away. 

“To  make  a long  story  short,  Tom,  when  the  day 
arrived.  Bill  and  I obtained  permission  to  visit  the  shore 
and  when  we  landed  we  set  out  immediatelv  for  Hoxie’s 

•'  I 

/ place.  I did  not  relish  the  job,  for  we  were  in  danger 
of  meeting  some  lurking  guerrillas  outside  the  lines, 
and  they  would  make  it  warm  for  us,  I thought,  if  we 
were  not  captured  or  killed,  but  I relied  upon  the  word 
of  the  officer  that  he  would  be  on  hand  with  his  men 
to  protect  me,  in  the  event  of  anything  turning  up  fur- 
ther than  we  were  acquainted  with.  Upon  our  arrival 
at  Hoxie’s  house.  Bill  left  me  to  reconnoitre,  and  in  a 
few  moments  returned  to  say  that  it  was  all  right  so  we 

walked  up  to  the  door  together.  The  door  was  open, 

* 

on  account  of  the  weather.  Bill  knocked  upon  it, 
whereupon  Mrs.  Hoxie  came,  welcomed  us  with  a 

smile  and  bade  us  enter  and  make  ourselves  at  home. 

\ 

Upon  our  entrance,  into  what  I supposed  to  be  the 
kitchen,  shle  offered  such  chairs  as  the  room  afforded, 
and  requested  us  to  be  seated,  which  request  we  at  once 
complied  with,  while  she  proceeded  to  the  cupboard  and 
procured  a large  gourd,  and  in  a moment  more 


13 


184 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


re-appeared  with  it  in  her  hand,  telling  us  to  make  our- 
selves comfortable.  She  then  opened  the  cellar  door 
and  descended  the  stairs.  As  she  stepped  off  the  last 
step,  on  the  cellar  bottom.  Bill  got  up,  closed  the 
door  and  shoved  the  iron  bolt  into  its  place.  He  then 
turned  towards  me  and  hurriedly  told  me  to  follow  him 
in  search  of  the  gold  watch. 

“ ‘Quick’s  the  word,  now,  Steve.  What  we  do,  must 
be  done  in  short  meter,  as  the  minister  said  to  the 
choir,’  and  he  chuckled  to  himself  as  he  dashed  into  a 
bed  room  leading  off  the  kitchen.  The  room  that  we 
entered  was  scantily  furnished,  there  being  only  an  old 
four-post  beadstead,  a chair  or  two  and  an  old  fashioned 
bureau.  Bill  began  to  work  on  the  last  mentioned 
article  by  pulling  out  the  top  drawer,  which  was  un- 
locked, and  there,  in  plain  sight  lay  the  watch.  Bill 
snatched  it  and  held  it  up  to  my  view,  exclaiming  in  an 
undertone,  ‘Ain’t  she  a beauty.  It’s  d — d lucky, 
Steve,  we  came  into  this  room  fust,  as  it  saves  so  much 
time ; now  here  goes  for  ‘spondulicks,’  if  there  are  any 
we’ll  have  them,  then  cut  our  lucky.’  So  saying,  he 
opened  the  next  drawer  below,  but  at  this  juncture  a 
heavy  hand  was  laid  on  his  shoulder.  He  looked  up 
with  an  affrighted  gaze,  and  his  looks  encountered  those 
of  the  officer  fixed  sternly  on  him.  He  was  placed 
under  arrest,  as  also  was  I,  but  this  was  done  as  a blind 
to  Bill. 


BECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


185 


/ 

“‘You  are  a nice  one,  you  are,’  said  the  officer  to 
Bill,  who  was  squirming  to  get  free  from  his  grasp, 
as  he  had  a strong  hold  on  his  collar.  But  it  was 
useless  for  him  to  struggle  ; his  hands  were  quickly  tied 
behind  him,  and  he  settled  down  into  a chair  in  sullen 
silence.  My  hands  were  also  tied,  but  in  such  a way 
as  not  to  cause  me  pain.  The  officer  now  turned 
his  attention  to  unlocking  the  cellar  door,  and  as 
he  threw  it  open  the  smiling  face  of  Mrs.  Hoxie 
appeared  in  the  doorway.  Stepping  into  the  room 
she  advanced  toward  the  officer,  thanked  him  for 
his  kindness,  and  then  turning  towards  us  gave  us  a 
lecture.  She  kept  her  eyes  all  the  time  on  Bill,  though, 
never  turning  towards  me  once.  Bill  during  the  lecture 
twisted  uneasily  about  in  his  chair  and  writhed  under 
the  good  woman’s  severe  but  well-merited  rebukes.  I 
shall  have  to  cut  it  short  now  Tom,  as  I see  Mr. 
Mills  coming  into  the  yard.  Bill  was  marched  ahead 
to  the  ship,  where  as  you  know,  he  was  confined  in  the 
chain  locker  four  weeks,  and  lived  on  very  poor  fare, 
and  all  his  liberty  days  stopped  during  his  term  of 
service,  which  I am  very  thankful,  is  very  nearly  out. 
I was  kept  in  the  background  that  day  until  Bill  was 
confined,  then  I was  allowed  my  liberty  and  received 
the  thanks  of  Mr.  Hoxie  and  his  wife  for  the  part  I 
had  acted,  and  was  complimented  by  the  officer  for 
carrying  it  out  so  well.  Lang  has  not  spoken  to  me 


186 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


since  his  release  from  durance  vile,  and  I am  of  the 
opinion  that  he  was  informed  of  the  part  I played  that 
day,  by  one  of  the  men  accompanying  the  officer.” 

Just  then  Mr.  Mills  was  seen  coming  over  the  side 
of 'the  schooner,  and  thus  precluded  the  chances  of 
Tom  and  I having  any  further  conversation,  so  I left 
him  to  his  reflections,  while  I turned  my  attention  .to 
Mr.  Mills  who  advanced  to  where  I was  standing. 

‘‘Well,”  he  said,  “the  work  seems  to  be  agoing  on 
finely.  I would  like  you  to  call  the  men  together,  as  I 
have  a few  words  to  say  to  them.” 

I called  the  men  from  their  labors,  and  after  they  had 
gathered  around,  Mr.  Mills  addressed  them  as  follows  : 
“Boys,  you  have  worked  hard  to  bring  this  vessel  to 
completion,  and  I am  more  thaii  thankful  to  you  all, 
and  especially  so  to  my  mate  here,”  turning  to  me,  “for 
his  diligence  and  energy  in  pushing  the  work  along. 
Owing  to  the  rebels  destroying  so  much  of  the  valuable 
material  that  was  designed  for  this  craft,  it  has  been 
uncommonly  hard  work  on  my  part  and  Blanding’s  to 
get  together  the  necessary  essentials  in  order  to  finish 
the  vessel  as  it  should  be.  But,  as  I said  before,  the 
vessel  is  nearly  completed,  and  a day  or  two  only  will 
be  sufficient  to  get  her  ready  for  launching.  Now, 
boys,  last  month  I sent  to  New  Berne  and  got  a gallon 
of  whiskey.”  The  men’s  eyes  snapped  at  this  announce- 
ment and  they  listened  the  more  attentively  for  what 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


187 


was  to  follow.  Mr.  Mills,  noticing  the  effect,  went  on 
to  say  : “I  know,  boys,  if  Commander  Eenshaw  knew 
it  he  ■ would  not  sanction  it,  but  as  I see  no  harm 
in  it  for  once  in  the  way,  I shall  therefore  run  the  risk, 
trusting  to  your  good  judgment  to  keep  it  quiet.  I 
have  made  arrangements  with  Mr.  Donzleberg,  the 
honest  old  Dutchman  who  keeps  the  grocery  store  next 
the  ship  yard,  to  take  the  demijohn  and  deal  the  spirits 
out  to  you  when  you  go  to  work  in  the  morning,  and 
again  before  going  to  dinner,  then  at  four  o’clock  at 
the  close  of  your  day’s  labor.  I am  sure  as  I have 
arranged  it,  it  can  do  you  no  harm,  and  I do  not  want 
any  man  to  use  it  who  has  not  been  in  the  habit  of  using 
it.  That’s  all ; you  may  go  back  to  work.” 

As  the  men  dispersed,  they  indulged  in  many 
antics  to  show  their  appreciation  of  the  carpenter’s 
kindness.  They  worked  with  a will  all  the  rest 
of  that  day,  and  at  four  o’clock  we  returned  to 
the  “Louisiana,”  while  the  contrabands  proceeded  to 
their  homes  or  lodging  places,  for  many  of  them  were 
alone  and  depended  upon  those  who  were  fortunate 

enough  to  have  their  families  with  them  inside  the 
lines. 

The  next  day  at  nine  o’clock  we  went  to  the  ship 
yard  and  resumed  our  labor  upon  the  vessel.  Although 
there  was  not  much  to  do  to  finish  our  task,  yet  there 
' was  enough  to  keep  us  fluttering  around  all  day,  so  as  to 


188 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


get  every  thing  ready  for  the  launch,  which  was  to  take 

place  the  next  day.  One  of  the  contrabands,  Jeff  by 

name,  was  an  inveterate  talker,  and  had  many  a story 

to  tell  about  the  rebs,  one  of  which  I will  relate  : 

After  the  capture  of  New  Berne  by  our  forces,  and 

when  the  fleet,  some  days  after,  was  coming  up  the 

sound  to  shell  Little  Washington,  although  they  did 

not  have  to  flght  for  the  possession  of  the  town,  as  the 

rebels  evacuated  that  place,  Jeff  was  at  work  in  the 

ship  yard,  when  the  Yankee  fleet  appeared  coming  up 

the  river.  “Old  massa,”  he  said,  “you  uns  better  git 

out  yere  ; de  d Yankees  coming  now  for  sure  ; soon 

dey  be  up  to  de  wharf.  Specs  dey  am  de  samedat  kill 

all  de  little  chil’n  in  New  Berne  when  dey  take  dat 

town.  Gadder  all  de  shavens  roun’  and  put  dem  under 

de  vessel,  and  set  de  d thing  on  Are.  De  Yanks 

neber  hab  dis  yer  vessel.  Bang  ! goes  one  ob  de  ole 

boats  down  de  river,  and  I say  to  de  massa,  ‘Hi ! massa, 

here  dey  comes,  sure  nuflT.’  Bang ! bang ! dey  am 

feeling  ob  de  rebs.  Ole  massa  scratch  a match ; he 

neber  burn  ; him  scratch  anoder  one  ; no  burn.  ‘D- — 

de  matches  ! gib  me  de  whole  bunch ; dey  neber  will 

$ 

light ; dem  matches  just  like  so  dey  been  in  de  water.’ 
Well,  ye  see  honey,  dem  matches  bin  done  soaked  in 
de  water-pail ; course  dey  wouldn’t  light,  but  I want 
guine  to  tell  massa  dat  fac’.  Him  scratch  dere  all  day  ; 
de  matches  neber  light.  Bang  ! dat  gun  went.  Ole  massa 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


189 


neber  stop  for  to  burn  ship ; him  run  as  if  de  debil 
arter  him.  Specs  dat  him  runnin’  yet.” 

I was  in  no  hurry  to  see  Mr.  Mills,  but  the  boys 
were  casting  anxious  looks  around  in  expectation  of  his 
appearance  in  the  ship  yard.  To  tell  the  truth,  I did 
not  really  like  the  programme,  for  some  of  the  boys 
were  easily  excited,  and  neither  he  nor  I could  tell  what 
might  happen  when  they  were  under  the  influence,  of  liq- 
uor, however  little  it  might  be.  We  had  been  engaged  in 
working  about  an  hour,  when  Mr.  Mills  entered  the  yard, 
and  coming  to  my  side,  said,  i‘You  can  let  the  men 
come  two  at  a time  to  the  store  for  their  ration  of  grog  ; 
and,  by  the  way,  you  had  better  go  with  me  first  and 
get  a nip.” 

I thanked  him  but  declined  to  accompany  him  for 
that  purpose.  I then  told  George  Jones  and  Ham- 
mond that  they  could  go  to  the  store,  and  after  being 
served  to  6ome  immediately  back.  They  soon  returned 
and  then  1 sent  two  more,  and  upon  their  return  I sent 
the  contrabands.  All  went  well  until  after  dinner.  I 
had  noticed  Hammond  slyly  talking  with  Jones  and  two 
of  the  contrabands  at  different  times  during  the  forenoon, 
but  when  I approached  they  sidled  off.  I did  not  think 
much  of  it  at  the  time.  The  rations  of  grog  were  served 
out  to  the  men  at  noon,  and  after  seeing  them  busily  at 
work  cleaning  the  deck,  I took  a stroll  up  as  far  as  the 
Lafayette  Hotel.  I returned  about  three  o’clock,  and 


190 


4 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


when  I entered  the  ship  yard  one  of  the  contrabands 
came  running  towards  me,  exclaiming,  ‘‘Massa  mate  ! 
massa  mate  ! de  men  done  clar’d  out ; dey  say  dey  guine 
to  hab  high  ole  time.” 

‘‘What  do  you  mean,  you  black  piece  of  ebony?”  I 
asked,  interrupting  him  ; “speak  out  now,  so  that  I can 
understand  you.” 

“Well,  de  men  done  gone  off  an’  got  drunk  on 
Massa* Mills’  whiskey;  ole  Dunnyboger’s  luff dem  hab 
de  dem’john.” 

“All  of  them  gone,  did  you  say?” 

“No,  massa,  de  brack  men  dey  ober  dar  side  de  ship, 
’cept  Abe  and  Jeff ; dey  done  gone  ’long  wid  Jones  an’ 
de  rest.” 

My  worst  fears  were  realized ; the  men  were  not  sat- 
isfied, as  I knew  they  would  not  be,  with  three  drinks, 
when  by  some  simple  artifice  they  could  get  more. 
Now  I knew  that  Jones  and  the  others  had  been  con- 
cocting  some  plot  when  my  back  was  turned.  I has-' 
tened  now  to  find  Mr.  Mills  to  inform  him  of  the  result 
of  his  liberality.  I found  him  at  the  hotel  just  spoken 
of,  and  upon  learning  my  business  with  him,  he  accom- 
panied me  to  Donzleberg’s  store  at  once.  The  carpen- 
ter felt  pretty  well  cut  up  about  the  matter,  and  ques- 
tioned me  as  we  went  along  as  to  how  they  managed  to 
get  the  liquor,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to  blame  me  for 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


191 


leaving  the  ship  yard,  something  I had  been  in  the  habit 
of  doing  whenever  the  mood  suited  me. 

Arriving  at  the  store  we  found  the  old  fellow  in,  and 
seemingly  glad  to  see  us  too.  I knew  by  the  old  man’s 
manner  that  he  was  aware  that  something  had  hap- 
pened. 

‘‘Veil,  dis  vash  a goot  day  Mr.  Pills,”  coming  for- 
ward to  meet  us,  “unt  I am  glat  to  meet  mit  you  any- 
dime,  Mr.  Planding,  in  mine  shop,”  turnin'g  and  address- 
me ; “you  don’t  gome  round  sometimes  so  ofen,”  and 
Donzleberg  held  out  his  hand  to  me,  which  I was 
forced  to  shake.  The  fact  was  I did  not  like  the  old 
fellow  very  well,  and  so  steered  clear  of  his  old  rattle- 
trap store,  and  only  went  in  there  when  I could  not  get 
my  wants  supplied  any  where  else. 

“Look  here,  Donzleberg,”  said  the  excited  Mills, ~ 
“what  kind  of  a trick  is  this  that  you  have  been  put- 
ting up  on  me,  now?”  / 

“Treek  ! vat  you  mean  by  dot?”  said  the  Dutchman, 
Tubbing  his  hands  together,  and  grinning  up  into  the 
carpenter’s  face. 

“Why,  here  I leave  that  whiskey  with  you  for  safe 
keeping,  and  no  sooner  is  my  back  turned  than  you 
let  the  boys  have  it,  without  an  order  from  me,  and 

they  have  gone  off  and  got  drunk,  I suppose,  and  the 

/ 

devil  will  be  to  pay  if  the  old  man  finds  it  out,”  said 


192 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


Mr.  Mills,  addressing  the  latter  part  of  his  conversation 
to  me. 

“Yaw!  Mr.  Pills,  I give  dot  whiskey  to  de  poys 
unt  your  order,  mit  your  name  ont.” 

“My  name  on  the  order  I Ten  thousand  devils  I I 
^ have  given  no  order  to  any  one  to  draw  upon  you  for 
anything.” 

“Py  tarn  I vat  you  call  dot?  Ish  dot  von  orter? 
Ish  dot  your  writing  hey  ?”  and  the  old  Dutchman 
thrust  a dirty  slip  of  paper  up  under  the  carpenter’s 
nose.  Mr.  Mills  took  the  paper  from  him  and  read  it 
aloud : 

“Deliver  to  the  bearer  the  demijohn  under  the  counter,  in  your 
shop,  containing  the  whiskey.  The  bearer  is  all  right. 

Mr.  Pills.” 

/ 

As  the  carpenter  finished  reading,  I laughed  out- 
right, although  I was  aware  the  next  instant  by  doing 
so  I was  laying  myself  liable  to  punishment,  but  he 
was  so  worked  up  about  the  affair  that  he  only  said  : 

“It’s  no  laughing  matter;  if  those  fellows  get  drunk 
they  will  give  the  whole  business  away,  and  I shall 
stand  a chance  of  getting  cashiered.” 

“Ish  dot  orter  no  goot?  You  laff  at  dot,  hey? 
Yaw,  I lets  de  poys  haf  dot  whiskey  mit  your  name 
there  ^ Pills. ^ You  see  dot,  hey?  By  jimminy  I”  and 
the  Dutchman  laughed  out,  “ha  I ha  I dem  poys  blays 
a schoke  on  you,  Mr.  Pills,  hey?” 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


193 


“Plays — a — joke — on — me,  why  you  thick,  blunder- 
headed old  Dutchman — by — it’s  too  bad.  I’ll — here — 
can’t  you  read?  That’s  not  my  name.  Pills.  Mills, 
Mills^  is  my  name,”  and  the  carpenter  glared  at  the 
Dutchman,  who  only  said  : 

“Yaw,  Pills;  don’t  I say  dot.  What  for  I let  de 
poys  hab  dot  demijohn  if  I see  not  your  name  Pills  on 
dot,  hey  ? ” 

“Oh,  it’s  no  use,  we  cannot  make  anything  by  stop- 
ping here  any  longer  talking  with  this  blunder-headed 
old  sour-crout,”  said  the  excited  Mr.  Mills,  “come  on, 

Blanding,  and  help  me  to  find  them,”  and  he  turned 

• 

and  left  the  store  and  I followed  him.  After  a long 
search  we  found  them  at  the  camp  of  the  Third  New 
York  Cavalry.  They  had  drunk  up  all  the  whiskey 
and  were  inclined  not  to  obey  when  Mr.  Mills  told 
them  to  return  to  the  ship  yard.  As  they  hesitated, 
Mr.  Mills  told  them  they  could  take  their  choice,  go 
back  to  the  ship  yard  quietly  and  go  to  work,  or  go  on 
board  the  “Louisiana”  under  arrest.  After  some 
saucy  remarks  from  Jones,  who  was  the  worse  for 
liquor,  of  the  alternatives  they  chose  to  return  to  the 
yard,  and  so  sullenly  followed  Mr.  Mills  in  that 
direction  while  I brought  up  the  rear.  Nothing  was 
seen  of  Abe  and  Jeff,  the  two  contrabands,  neither  did 
we  look  for  them.  Arriving  at  the  ship  yard  the  men 
set  to  work  to  help  the  contrabands  finish  cleaning  up 


194  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

the  litter  around  the  vessel.  Mr.  Mills  kept  me  com- 
pany the  rest  of  the  afternoon  and  all  went  well, 
although  Jones  threatened  to  become  obstreperous 
several  times  during  the  afternoon,  but  with  a little 
moral  suasion  we  managed  to  keep  him  in  the  harness. 

Four  o’clock  came  and  we  returned  to  the  gun-boat 
as  usual.  I was  afraid  Jones’  condition  would  be 
noticed  by  our  lynx-eyed  executive  officer,  Mr.  West- 
ervelt,  for  he  had  not  worn  off  the  effect  of  his  pota- 
tions and  showed  that  something  unusual  was  the  matter 
with  him.  By  good  luck  the  lieutenant  was  not  on 
the  quarter  deck  when  we  went  over  the  side,  and  I 
hurried  Jones  forward  out  of  sight  of  any  of  the 
other  officers,  and  when  all  was  safe^  I drew  a long 
breath,  mentally  hoping  the  carpenter  was  too  well 
satisfied  with  the  results  of  his  first  setting  them  up  to 
ever  want  to  try  it  again. 

The  schooner  was  all  ready  now  to  launch,  and  next 
day  Mr.  Mills  invited  the  officers  on  shore  to  witness 
her  fioat  away,  at  the  ship  yard.  The  officers  boarded 
the  schooner  and  took  their  seats  on  the  deck,  while 
the  carpenter  stood  ready  to  break  a bottle  of  whiskey 
over  the  stern.  ‘‘All-ready,”  sang  out  the  carpenter, 
and  the  chocks  were  knocked  out  from  under  the  vessel 
and  she  glided  gracefully  into  the  water.  We  gave 
three  cheers  as  she  fioated  in  the  middle  of  Tar 
river,  where  she  was  sent  by  the  impetus  given  by  slid- 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


195 


ing  from  the  greased  ways.  The  whiskey  was  spilled 
over  her  stern,  and  she  was  named,  “Renshaw.”  Her 
future  occupation  a store  ship,  and  she  made  a good 
one.  The  carpenter  was  put  in  command,  much  to  his 

I 

satisfaction. 


GHAPTER  XI. 

\ 

• 

EXPEDITION  TO  GREENVILLE. 

AS  we  were  now  well  prepared  for  the  rebels  below, 
the  next  thing  was  to  find  out  what  was  above 
us  in  the  river,  or  on  the  shores  to  Greenville.  One 
morning  after  we  had  holy-stoned  the  decks  until  they 
fairly  shone,  and  had  partaken  of  our  breakfast,  the  boat- 
swain’s mate’s  shrill  whistle  was  heard  to  pipe  all  hands, 
and  with  stentorian  lungs  he  called  the  men  to  quarters. 

‘‘Do  you  hear!  All  hands  to  quarters^  all  hands 
muster  aft  on  the  quarter  deck.” 

When  we  had  all  assembled  on  the  deck,  lieutenant 
Westervelt  said  he  had  called  us  together  to  inform  us 
that  an  expedition  was  to  start  about  dusk  to  go  up  Tar 
river  on  a reconnoissance,  and  he  wanted  volunteers. 
Every  man  in  line  raised  his  hand  signifying  his  willing- 
ness to  go.  But  the  lieutenant  only  wanted  twenty.  The 
result  was  he  had  to  pick  his  men.  Tom  and  I were  of  the 
fortunate  twenty  chosen.  I had  many  offers  from  the  less 
fortunate  to  go  in  my  place,  but  I refused  them  all,  for, 
sink  or  swim,  I was  bound  to  go  up  Tar  river. 
That  day  a stern  wheel  steamboat  arrived  in  Little 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  197 

Washington  and  coming  up  alongside  made  fast  to  the 
‘‘Louisiana,”  and  we  were  soon  made  aware  of  the  fact, 
that  she  was  intended  for  our  use.  Being  flat  bottomed, 
she  could  run  in  a foot  and  a half  of  water  and  con- 
sequently was  just  fitted  for  our  purpose.  We  intended 
to  start  about  five  o’clock,  and  in  the  meantime 
prepared  everything  for  our  journey.  The  boat 
howitzer  was  hoisted  from  its  position  on  the  fore-castle 
deck  and  mounted  on  wheels,  which  were  stowed  in  the 
chain-locker  for  such  an  expedition  as  we  were  now  en- 
tering upon.  Drag  ropes  were  attached,  and  powder, 
shot  and  shell  were  put  in  cassion  boxes  on  the  axle 
tree  each  side  of  the  gun.  When  all  was  ready  the 
gun  was  run  on  board  the  stern  wheeler  and  four , days’ 
rations  were  issued  to  the  crew.  On  the  steamer  was 
a twenty-four  pound  gun  mounted  on  the  forward  deck, 
which  was  intended  to  be  left  on  board  with  a gun’s 
crew,  while  we  went  on  shore  with  the  other.  Every- 
thing being  now  in  readiness,  forty  soldiers  of  the 
North  Carolina  men  were  marched  on  board,  and  we 
were  ready  to  leave.  As  we  were  putting  off,  some 
of  the  boys  cried  out  to  Blucher,  one  of  our  number, 
“I  say  Blucher,  what’s  the  number  of  your  bag  and 
hammock?  You  won’t  need  them  any  more ; and  say, 
Durand,  we’ll  write  to  your  mother,”  and  much  more 
to  the  same  effect ; and  all  the  time  they  looked  as 
if  they  were  attending  a funeral. 


198 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


On  the  port  and  starboard  sides  of  the  boat,  hay 
bales  were  placed  to  protect  us  from  sharp  shooters  on 
the  shore  as  we  steamed  along.  Pretty  soon  came  the 
order,  “Cast  off,”  and  we  steamed  up  the  river.  Noth- 
ing worthy  of  note  happened  on  our  passage  up,  how- 
ever. A few  miles  from  the  starting  point,  the  river 
became  so  narrow  that  we  could  almost  jump  on  shore 
from  either  side  of  the  boat.  We  steamed  ahead  now 
very  cautiously  for  it  was  just  the  place  for  an  ambush. 
The  river  grew  narrower,  and  the  limbs  of  the  trees  on 
the  banks  grazed  the  steamer’s  sides  as  we  passed  along. 
The  lead  was  thrown  and  we  found  that  we  had 
three  feet  of  water.  A little  further,  we  had  two 
feet  and  the  engine  was  stopped,  for  Mr.  Lay,  our  chief 
engineer,  who  was  in  command  of  the  expedition,  con- 
cluded, in  consequence  of  the  river  being  so  narrow, 
and  the  water  so  shoal,  to  make  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  to  Greenville  by  land.  But  as  it  was  now 
quite  dark,  and  Greenville  was  yet  some  distance  up  the 
river,  he  determined  to  tie  up  to  the  trees  on  the  banks 
and  wait  for  daylight  before  exploring  any  further, 
for  we  were  now  as  far  as  we  could  go  in  the  steamer, 

9 

and  to  all  appearances  the  river  was  now  unnavigable 
even  for  a launch.  So  the  steamer  was  made  fast  bow 
and  stern  to  the  trees  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
Pickets  were  placed  at  some  distance  in  the  woods  on 
either  side,  and  watches  were  set  on  board.  The  men 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  191> 

then  turned  in  to  sleep.  I had  the  first  watch  on  deck 
•from  nine  until  eleven.  About  ten  o’clock  I heard  the 
sound  of  the  blows  of  an  axe,  as  though  some  one 
was  felling  trees.  I immediately  notified  Mr.  Lay, 
who  at  once  came  on  deck.  He  listened  attentively  for 
a few  minutes,  then  said,  ‘‘Boys,  they  are  felling  trees^ 
across  the  river  below  us,  to  prevent  our  return  in  the 
steamer.  At  any  rate  we  can  do  nothing  to-night,  but 
we  will  run  down  in  the  morning  as  far  as  we  can,  and 
if  need  be  force  our  way  through.  Keep  a sharp  look- 
out now,  and  call  me  at  once  if  anything  unusual  hap- 
pens.” As  he  spoke,  the  noise  of  the  chopping  suddenly 
ceased,  and  there  came  the  crash  of  a falling  tree. 

“That  don’t  sound  in  the  direction  of  the  river,”  said 
Mr.  Lay.  “What  do  you  think,  Blanding?” 

“My  opinion  is,  sir,  that  the  tree  was  felled  inshore 
some  way  from  the  bank,  for  I have  listened  to  the 
sound  of  the  axe  for  some  time,  and  when  the  wind  blows 
it  drives  the  sound  down  the  river,  and  when  it  is  calm 
it  sounds  inshore.” 

“Well,  I hope  you  are  right;  if  the  chopping  con- 
tinues let  me  know  it,  and  I will  reconnoitre  in  that 
direction,”  and  bidding  us  keep  our  eyes  open  he  turned 
in  again. 

Nothing  more  was  heard  to  cause  me  to  arouse  Mr. 
Lay  again,  and  at  eleven  .o’clock  I was  relieved  and 


14 


200 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


turned  in,  perchance  to  dream,  of  home.  The  rest  of 
the  night  passed  quietly,  nothing  transpiring  to  cause  a\ 
second  alarm,  and  in  the  morning  all  hands  were  called  to 

t 

breakfast  which  consisted  of  hard-tack  and  pork,  washed 
down  with  a pint  of  coffee  apiece.  The  pickets  were 
then  called  in,  the  lines  cast  off  from  the  shore,  and  we 
backed  down  the  river  nearly  half  a mile  before  we  were 
able  to  come  about.  A bright  lookout  was  kept  on 
either  side  for  signs  of  rebs,  and  we  were  expecting  to' 
see,  at  any  moment,  trees  felled  across  the  river  to 
check  our  further  progress.  Yet  we  steamed  along 
and  the  river  grew  wider  and  wider.  Mr.  Lay  then 
gave  an  order  to  stop  her,  for  he  had  now  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  chopping  we  had  heard  in  the  night 
was  made  by  some  woodsman  near  his  houLe  back  from 
the  river.  At  any  rate  it  could  not  be  accounted  for, 
and  as  we  were  not  blockaded  we  did  not  care  to 
account  for  it.'  The  old  steamer  was  now  headed  up 
the  river  again,  and  we  pounded  along  until  we  neared 
our  former  anchorage,  when  Mr.  Lay  concluded  to  make 
fast,  and  traverse  the  rest  of  the  distance  to  Greenville 
by  land.  We  knew  that  there  was  nothing,  as  far  as 
we  had  gone,  either  in  the  shape  of  a ram  or  scow,  that 
could  endanger  our  forces  below,  and  if  anything  was 
being  constructed  at  Greenville,  it  would  have  to  be 
drawn  to  the  river  bank  first,  and  then  launched,  and 
we  were  now  confident  that  nothing  of  any  magnitude 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


201 


could  be  above  us  in  the  river.  Forty  men  were  chosen 
to  go  to  Greenville,  twenty  on  each  side  of  the  river. 

They  were  mostly  North  Carolina  men,  who  knew  every 

\ 

foot  of  the  ground  from  Little  Washington  to  Green- 
ville. They  set  out  in  fine  spirits,  nevertheless  keeping 
a sharp  lookout  for  bushwhackers,  for  we  were  in  the 

enemy’s  country  and  therefore  it  behooved  us  to  be 

/ 

careful,  for  danger  lurked  in  every  crook  and  turn  of 
the  river.  It  was  about  nine  o’clock  in  the  forenoon  ' 
when  they  set  out,  and  their  return  was  not  looked  for 
until  late  in  the  afternoon,  so  all  we  could  do  was  to 
amuse  ourselves  until  their  arrival.  We  were  sur- 
rounded by  dense  woods,  in  consequence  of  which  ten 
seamen  did  picket  duty  on  land,  five  on  each  side  of  the 
steamer.  The  remainder  lay  about  the  deck  and  smoked 
their  pipes,  deriving  solid  comfort  from  that  source. 
Everything  seemed  quiet,  although  the  farmer  bush- 
whackers could  not  but  know  that  we  were  up  the  river, 
as  we  passed  two  houses  on  the  bluff,  and  a man  was 
seen  to  dodge  around  the  corner  of  one  of  them  as  we 
hove  in  sight.  Three  o’clock  had  passed ; the  time 
began  to  drag,  and  we  wished  for  the  return  of  our 
land  force.  Between  three  and  four  o’clock  we  heard 
firing  in  the  direction  taken  by  the  troops,  and  the  con- 
clusion arrived  at  on  board  the  steamer,  was  that  the 
boys  had  found  the  Johnnies  at  or  near  Greenville. 


202  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.. 

The  firing  was  very  indistinct  although  we  were  within 
a few  miles  of  Greenville. 

We  listened  intently  for  some  time  but  the  firing 
had  ceased.  Mr.  Lay  now  began  to  mate  pre- 
parations for  sending  ten  men  of  our  crew  to  rein- 
force them,  when  a voice  from  one  of  the  out-posts 
reached  us,  “Halt!  Who  comes  there?”  “Friends,, 

I 

with  the  countersign.”  “Advance,  one,  and  give  the 
countersign.” 

In  a few  moments  our  friends  made  their  appearance 
tired  and  bedraggled  with  mud.  We  eagerly  gathered 
round  them  to  hear  the  news.  It  seemed  that  their 

progress  was  not  impeded  at  all,  except  by  the  thick 

'/ 

brush  and  briars  that  lined  the  banks  of  the  river,  until 
they  reached  Greenville,  which  they  found  to  be  occu- 
pied by  a few  women  and  children,  and  a number  of 
old  men.  There  were  no  signs  of  anything  built,  or 
building  that  could  in  any  way  affect  us  at  Little  Wash- 
ington. The  Buffaloes  had  endured  many  insults  from 
the  women,  who  called  them  traitors  and  bade  them 
come  and  protect  their  homes  against  the  hated  vandals. 
As  they  turned  their  backs  on  Greenville,  a squad  of 
rebel  cavalry  appeared  on  the  bridge  leading  from 
Greenville  to  the  woods  on  the  opposite  side,  and  fired 
a volley  at  our  boys,  which  was  returned  with  interest^ 
but  the  distance  was  too  great  for  either  side  to  do  any 
harm  with  their  leaden  messengers,  and  the  rebels  dis- 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


203 


appeared  in  the  woods  again.  No  other  incident  worthy 
of  remark  happened  to  them  on  their  return  down  the 
river. 

After  hearing  the  report,  Mr.  Lay  concluded  to  cast 
the  lines  from  the  shore,  run  down  where  the  river  was 
considerably  wider  and  anchor  for  the  night,  in  the 
middle  of  the  stream,  for  it  was  coming  in  thick  and 
foggy,  and  wecoul^,  if  attacked,  defend  ourselves  much 
better  there  than  at  our  old  anchorage  ; besides  all  this, 
we  should  be  all  together  on  board,  and  with  a gun  on 
the  port  side  and  another  on  the  starboard  side  loaded 
with  grape  and  canister,  be  prepared  for  almost  any  em- 
ergency. We  then  cast  off  our  lines  and  steamed  down 
the  river  until  we  came  to  a place  where  the  banks  of 
the  river  side  were  quite  low,  where  we  dropped  our 
anchor.  The  night  was  passed  in  much  the  same  man- 
ner as  the  previous  one  ; watches  were  set,  and  we 
turned  in  to  obtain  what  rest  we  could,  for  in  the 
morning  Mr.  Lay  said  we  should  steam  down  the  river 
to  a landing,  where  he  proposed  to  take  the  howitzer 
on  wheels,  and  leaving  only  a gun’s  crew  on  board  the 
stern  wheeler,  land,  and  march  back  into  the  interior 
some  eight  or  nine  miles  on  a recohnoissance.  We 
turned  out  at  four  o’clock — eight  bells — next  morning, 
and  immediately  after  breakfast  got  up  our  anchor  and 
ran  down  the  river  until  a high  luff  was  discerned,  upon 


f 


204  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY 


which  was  seen  a board  cabin  and  a man  standing  on 
the  outside,  apparently  watching  us. 

The  prow  of  the  steamer  was  turned  inshore, 
and  in  a few  moments  more  we  ran  up  alongside  the 
bank  and  made  fast.  Our  few  preparations  to  land 
were  soon  made.  Mr.  Lay  hailed  the  man  and  asked 
him  if  there  were  any  Johnnies  about.  He  replied 
that  there  were  about  fifty  rebel  cavalrymen  just  below 
the  bend  in  the  river,  concealed  on  a high  bluff  wait- 
ing for  us  to  come  down,  when  their  intention  was  to 
fire  a volley  into  our  craft  as  she  passed  the  spot  where 
they  were  hidden.  Mr.  Lay  thanked  the  man  for  his 
information,  and  went  on  with  his  preparation^  to  land. 
We  found  it  hard  work  to  drag  the  howitzer  up  the 
steep  incline,  but  it  was  finally  accomplished.  Some 
of  our  North  Carolina  men  knew  the  man  with  whom 
Mr.  Lay  had  just  been  speaking,  and  said  he  was  a 
Union  man,  and  that  his  word  could  be  relied  upon. 

Mr.  Lay  intended  to  give  the  rebels  a reception. 

We  found  upon  landing,  a road  that  led  down  from^ 
the  old  man’s  house,  which  was  about  a half  mile  from* 
the  river,  and  the  place  where  four  roads  centered.  At 
the  side  of  one  of  these  roads  was  an  old  log  cabin,, 
which  commanded  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  road! 
leading  to  the  river  where  the  rebels  were  believed  to  be 
hiding.  The  soldiers  were  given  a position  in  the 
cabin,  and  through  the  chinks  of  the  logs  they  com- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


205 


manded  a view  of  the  road  spoken  of.  The  howitzer 

was  run  in  behind  the  cabin,  and  the  trail-ropes  led 

out  towards  the  road.  Pickets  were  then  placed  down 

the  road,  in  the  woods,  within  sight  of  the  cabin,  with 

orders  from  Mr.  Lay  that  as  soon  as  they  saw  any 

rebels,  to  step  out  to  the  edge  of  the  road,  keeping  out 

of  sight  of  the  rebels  all  the  while,  and  hold  up  their 

hands,  then  make  a detour  and  return  by  our  rear.  In 

the  meantime,  the  captain  of  the  steamer  had  orders 

that  as  soon  as  one  of  our  boys  made  his  appearance  on 

the  bank  of  the  river  and  raised  his  hand,  to  steam 

% 

down  the  river  near  enough  to  the  bluffs  where'  the 
Johnnies  were  lying  in  wait,  open  fire  upon  them  with 
the  twenty-four  pounder  and  drive  them  out.  The 
supposition  was,  that  when  they  were  forced  to  leave 
their* ambush,  they  would  retreat  up  the  road  towards 
us  and  we  could  ba^  them.  But  thino^s  turned  out 
differently  from  what  Mr.  Lay  expected.  . 

We  soon  heard  the  gun  from  the  steamer,  as  fire  was 
opened  upon  the  confederates’  hiding  place,  and  our 
excitement  became  intense.  We  lay  extended  upon  the 
ground,  ready  at  a moment’s  warning  to  grasp  the 
trail-ropes  and  run  the  howitzer  out  to  the  center  where 
the  roads  forked.  After  waiting;  for  what  seemed  to 
me  to  be  half  an  hour,  the  order  came,  ‘‘Ready,  run 
her  out.”  We  all  grasped  the  trail-ropes,  stood  erect, 
and  swung  the  cannon  out  into  the  center  of  the  road. 


206 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


expecting  to  encounter  the  enemy  in  force.  Fancy  our 
surprise,  when  instead  of  seeing  the  enemy  in  front  of 
us,  on  turning  our  heads  we  saw  about  twenty  of  the 
rebel  cavalry  riding  leisurely  up  the  road  towards  us. 
On  perceiving  us  they  came  to  a sudden  halt,  and 
seemed  too  much  surprised  to  realize  their  danger. 
That  second  or  two,  however,  while  they  stood  dis- 
mayed, was  just  enough  for  us.  The  order  came* 
promptly,  ^ ‘Ready,  aim,  fire.”  Bang!  went  a charge 
of  grape  shot,  hustling  towards  them,  with  what  effect 
we  could  not  really  make  out.  Part  of  them  wheeled 
their  horses  and  jumped  the  fence  on  the  right  hand 
side  of  the  road,  and  then  urged  them  to  a gallop  across 
an  old  cornfield.  Two  of  them  must  have  been  hit  by 
our  fire,  for  they  reeled  in  their  saddles  as  their  horses 
bore  them  away.  The  remainder  split  up,  and  a*part 
of  them  drove  their  horses  at  a break-neck  speed  into 
the  woods  on  the  left,  while  others  galloped  down  the 
road.  All  this  happened  in  a few  seconds  of  time.  We 
had  a point  blank  range  on  the  Johnnies  galloping  down 
the  road,  and  the  next  time  we  fired,  it  made  the  dust 
fly  and  obscured  them,  but  still  they  rode  on,  appar- 
ently unharmed  by  the  grape  shot,  and  turning  to  the 
left,  disappeared  in  the  woods. 

Pretty  soon,  “Zip,”  came  a ball,  “Zip,  zip,  zip,” 
thev  continued  to  come.  We  fired  a few  rounds  into 

V 

the  woods,  across  one  corner  of  the  cornfield,  from 


207 


1 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SATLO^  BOY. 

whence  the  shots  seemed  to  proceed.  In  a few 
moments  the  rebs  appeared  on  the  edge  of  the  woods, 
and  in  sight  from  the  log  cabin.  No  sooner  had  they 
made  their  appearance  than  the  loyal  Buffaloes  gave 
them  a volley.  Ostensibly  this  was  another  surprise 
to  them,  as  their  intention,  I think,  was  to  charge  upon 
us,  thinking  we  had  only  the  gun’s  crew  and  no  support. 
We  had  however,  twenty  men  of  the  gun’b  crew,  ten 
of  them  armed  with  Sharpe’s  rifles,  cutlasses  and  navy 
revolvers.  All  the  seamen  were  armed  with  cutlasses 
and  revolvers.  The  enemy  were  now  seen  to  deploy 
their  forces  through  the  woods,  so  as  to  get  into  a posi- 
tion where  they  would  be  able  to  pick  of  the  men  at 
the  howitzer.  We  loaded  and  fired  at  this  juncture 
without  waiting  for  orders,  turning  our  gun  as  though 
it*hung  on  a pivot,  and  describing  a circle,  discharging 
it  as  fast  as  we  could  ram  the  charges  home.  Adam 
Blucher,  of  Philadelphia,  was  sponging  the  gun  and  in 
the  excitement  of  the  moment,  neglected  to  sponge, 
sufficiently,  leaving  fire  in  the  chamber.  When  we 
rammed  the  next  charge  home,  before  Blucher  had  with- 
drawn his  rammer,  and  while  the  shot-man  was  standing 
‘ ready  with  a charge  of  grape  shot  to  put  into  the  mouth 
of  the  cannon,  there  came  a premature  explosion.  All 
was  excitement  now  for  a few  moments  ; our  rammer 
and  sponge  were  gone,  torn  from  the  blood  stained 
hands  of  Blucher,  and  hurled  into  the  woods  in  the 


i 


208 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


direction  of  the  rebels,  who  were  blazing  away  again  as 
we  ceased  firing.  Blucher  was  thrown  in  a bleeding 
and  unconcious  state  to  one  corner  of  the  Virginia  rail 
fence  where  he  lay  as  one  dead.  I grabbed  a hand- 
spike or  trail  bar  and  jerked  it  from  its  place  to  serve 
as  a rammer.  The  boys  seeing  my  object  tore  olF  their 
blue  shirts,  and  with  two  of  them,  we  improvised  a 
sponge,  making  it  more  secure  by  binding  our  silk 
handkerchiefs  around  it.  The  rebs  in  the  mean  time 
had  come  nearer  to  us  and  their  bullets  were  falling  un- 
comfortably close.  When  all  was  ready,  Mr.  Lay 
ordered  us  to  open  fire,  and  commanded  the  force 
in  the  log  cabin  to  keep  up  a hot  fire  on  the^rebs. 
This  was  done,  but  with  what  effect  we  were  unable  to 
determine.  We  were  now  ordered  to  make  a retreat 
towards  the  river,  for  this  fighting  unseen  enemies  we 
were  not  accustomed  to.  But  the  bushwackers  were  right 
in  their  element.  Slowly  we  retreated  towards  the 
road  leading  to  the  river,  where  our  steamer  lay 
awaiting  us,  the  rebels  following  us  at  a respectful  dis- 
tance and  sending  in  a volley  once  in  awhile,  causing  no 
severe  causalities  amongst  us.  Blucher  was  carried  on 
a litter  to  the  steamer.  As  we  neared  the  river  the 
firing  from  the  enemy  ceased,  and  we  hastened  our 
steps  to  get  to  the  boat,  which  we  soon  reached^ 
finding^  her  close  inshore.  The  crew  were  on  the 
lookout  for  us,  and  were  very  anxious  on  our  account. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY, 


209 


« 

The  howitzer  was  let  down  the  steep  bank  with  our 
trail-ropes,  while  the  crew  on  the  steamer  kept  up  a 
steady  fire  of  shot  and  shell  over  our  heads,  the  how- 
itzer having  been  mounted  on  the  hurricane  deck  before 
our  appearance,  so  that  the  proper  elevation  could  be 
attained  to  throw  the  shot  over  the  bluff.  It  showed 
the  quick  perception  of  the  gunner — I wish  I could 
remember  his  name — and  his  fitness  for  the  position 
of  captain  of  the  gun. 

In  fifteen  minutes’  time  we  had  the  howitzer  on  board 
the  steamer,  and  the  crew  quickly  followed.  The  fasts 
were  cast  off  from  the  shore,  and  Mr.  Lay  headed  her  for 
the  middle  of  the  river,  which  having  been  attained,  we 
opened  fire  with  both  guns  and  gave  the  rebels  a few 
farewell  shots  ; then  headed  the  steamer  down  the  river 
for  Little  Washington.  Blucher  was  badly  wounded, 
his  right  arm  being  broken  in  three  places,  and  part  of 
his  left  hand  shot  away,  while  he  was  blinded  by  the 
explosion  of  powder  in  his  face.  The  rebels  did  not 
follow  us  to  the  bank  of  the  river ; at  any  rate  we  did 
not  see  or  hear  from  them  again  during  our  passage 
down.  We  passed  the  bluff  where  they  had  been  lying 
in  ambush  for  us,  and  without  anything  worthy  of  men- 
tion arrived  at  Little  Washington,  where  we  ran  up 
alongside  the  ‘‘Louisiana.”  As  soon  as  we  were  all 
safe  on  board,  poor  Blucher’s  wounds  were  attended  to 
by  Surgeon  Bradly,  and  he  was  subsequently  taken  to  ' 


210 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


the  hospital.  With  the  exception  of  a shattered  thumb 
on  my  left  hand,  Blucher’s  injuries  were  the  only  ones 
^ inflicted  upon  us  by  the  rebels.  The  firing  had  been 
heard  in  Little  Washington,  and  Commander  Eenshaw 
was  very  anxious  about  the  matter.  The  excitement 
did  not  abate  on  board  the  “Louisiana”  till  we  made 
our  appearance. 

We  accomplished  all  we  had  been  sent  to  do,  and  so 
ended  our  expedition  up  Tar  river,  which  nearly  became 
being  so  disastrous  to  those  who  took  part  in  it. 


N 


GRAPTCR  XII. 

• 

AT  WORK  IN  THE  BURIAL  LOT. 

There  were  days  when  the  time  hung  heavy  on 
our  hands,  and  we  sat  about  the  deck  with  little 
else  to  do  but  mend  and  put  our  clothes  in  order  and 
gossip  like  so  many  half-grown  school  boys.  Among 
one  hundred  men  and  boys  there  was  always  plenty  to 
talk  about,  and  we  passed  many  pleasant  days  while 
stretched  out  beneath  the  awning  that  hung  from  the 
hurricane  deck  to  the  foremast.  It  was  indeed  pleas- 
ant to  listen  to  the  harmless  chatter  of  a score  or 
more  of  the  ship’s  company  seated  upon  the  clean  white 
deck ; some  arguing  in  regard  to  the  war’s  ending,  and 
upon  it  betting  money  that  none  of  them  possessed  or 
knew  where  to  get.  All  I could  liken  the  scene  to  was 
a country  school  house  in  which  the  scholars  were  all 
reciting  at  once.  Frequently,  under  the  influence  of 

I 

the  continual  buzz,  I would  doze  off,  and  that  which 
seemed  to  me  so  loud  at  first,  would  fall  upon  my  ear& 
like  the  faint,  far-off  hum  of  bees  around  a hive ; the 

X 

sound  would  seem  to  recede,  and  Anally  die  out 
altogether  as  I lost  myself  in  sleep.  At  such  times,. 


212 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


only  those  who  have  experienced  the  feeling  can  in 
any  way  describe  the  delightful  sense  of  abandon  one 
feels,  as  he  lies  upon  the  deck,  shut  out  from  the  piercing 
rays  of  the  sun,  while  cares  and  troubles  waft  slowly 
away,  and  all  thought  of  the  dangers  which  surround 
him  are  lost.  He  appears  to  be  entirely  given  up  to 

I 

the  enjoyment  of  his  imagination, *and  all  things  seem 
to  melt  away  in  a glorious  indistinctness,  while  dreams 
of  home  and  the  loved  ones  often  mingle  in  his  sleep. 

It  was  under  some  such  experience  as  this,  that 
one  day,  about  six  bells,  (eleven  o’clock)  I awoke,  and 
with  eyes  partly  open  looked  around  upon  the  same 
busy  scene,  the  same  throng  of  men  and  boys,  many  of 
them  under  twenty,  and  it  did  seem  to  me  that  I should 
never  have  energy  enough  to  get  upon  my  feet  again. 
Looking  aft,  I observed  Mr.  Mills  making  his  way 
slowly  forward.  I watched  him  and  saw  him  making 
inquiries  of  some  of  the  crew,  who  pointed  in  the 
direction  of  where  I was  reclining.  Whatever  they 
meant  by  pointing  in  my  direction,  I felt  satisfied  that 
it  concerned  me,  so  I arose  to  my  feet  as  he  approached 
and  allowed  myself  to  be  seen.  Approaching  me  he 
said,  ‘‘Mate,  you  may  take  Jones  and  go  ashore  this 
afternoon,  and  see  if  you  can  make  the  head-boards  of 
the  graves  of  those  poor  fellows  in  the  grave-yard  look 
a little  more  respectable.  I was  up  there  this  morning 
and  it  really  made  me  feel  ashamed  to  think  that  they  had 


/ 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  213 

been  neglected  so  long.  You  had  better  take  some  of 
the  new  boards  and  red  paint  along  with  you,  and  I* 
will  come  around  soon  and  see  how  you  progress  with 
the  work.” 

‘‘Aye,  aye,  sir;  I will  go  ashore  immediately  after 
dinner  and  make  a beginning.”  Mr.  Mills  then  turned 
and  went  aft. 

The  grave-yard  was  situated  at  the  south-west  end  ‘ 
of  the  town  and  enclosed  about  four  acres.  As  soon 
after  dinner  as  possible  I called  Jones,  and  we  started 
for  the  location,  armed  with  red  paint-pots  and  boards 
and  the  necessary  tools  wherewith  to  prosecute  the 
work.  Reaching  the  yard,  I walked  up  and  down  the 
paths  between  the  graves,  which  had  become  overgrown 
with  grass  and  rank  with  weeds.  After  being  engaged 
in  our  work  for  some  little  time,  I said  to  Jones  that 
the  next  time  we  came  on  shore  we  might  bring  some 
hoes  and  dig  the  grass  and  weeds  up,  also  a scythe  to 
mow  around  the  graves,  which  were  almost  hid  with  a 
most  luxuriant  growth  of  tall  waving  grass.  About 
all  that  we  could  do  that  day  was  to  look  around  and 
ascertain  what  was  needed  for  the  next  few  days  that 

► 

we  should  be  employed  there.  I found  upon  examina- 
tion that  we  should  have  quite  a number  of  new  boards 
to  erect,  as  the  old  ones  were  so  delapidated  that 
several  of  them  had  fallen  to  decay,  while  the  letters  on 
others  were  almost  obliterated.  Nearly  all  that  were 


214 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


buried  in  this  yard  were  soldiers ; the  few  *that  were 
not  soldiers  had  belonged  to  our  crew,  four  of  whom 
hadv  died  with  the  chills  and  the  fever.  With  the 
exception  of  these,  the  head-stone  to  nearly  every 
grave  read  after  this  manner  : 


No.  50. 
John  Doe. 


Reg.  Mass.  Vol. 

Co.  K. 

Aged  16  years. 

Shot  on  Picket. 

When  Little  Washington  was  first  captured  by  our 
forces,  the  pickets  were  shot  nearly  every  night  by  the 
rebs  who  creept  up  to  them,  picked  them  off,  and  then 
escaped  in  the  darkness.  It  was  certainly  a cow- 
ardly thing  to  do,  to  steal  up  to  a man  and  kill  him  in 
cold  blood  at  his  post.  There  was  some  excuse  for  sur- 
prising a picket  post,  now  and  then,  and  capturing  or 
even  taking  life  at  such  times  in  the  encounters.  This 
was  done  by  both  sides,  but  I never  heard  of  an  instance 
in  which  a Union  man  crept  upon  his  hands  and  knees, 
to  stab  a solitary,  lonely  foe  in  the  darkness  of  night. 
The  farmer  guerrillas  have  a ^reat  deal  to  answer  for 
in  this  respect,  but  I will  not  judge  them,  for  the  con- 
sciences of  those  who  have  survived  the  war,  must  surely 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  215 

trouble  them  for  disposing  of  their  fellow-beings  in  so 
murderous  a manner. 

‘‘Say,  Steve,  don’t  you  see  that  all  the  soldiers’ 
grave-boards  here,  contain  a record  of  the  ages  of  those 
buried,  and  that  they  are  all  about  twenty  years  old, 
and  some  even  under?”  said  Jones  to  me. 

“Yes,  I noticed  that  most  of  them  are  boys.  Poor 
fellows  ! its  too  bad  that  they  could  not  have  had  an 
equal  chance  for  their  lives  with  their  cruel  foes.  There 
are  many  aching  hearts  in  the  homes  of  the  north  now, 
Jones,  on  account  of  these  poor  fellows  sleeping  here 
in  the  North  Carolina  clay.’’ 

Mr.  Mills  came  round  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon, 
and  upon  viewing  the  graves  and  the  surroundings,  said 
we  had  better  go  on  board  and  come  the  next  day  bet- 
ter prepared  for  work.  As  it  was  early  in  the  after- 
noon, I asked  permission  for  Jones  and  myself  to  stay 
' \ 

ashore  until  four  o’clock,  and  it  was  granted  us.  We 
strolled  about  town  and  visited  the  fort  and  the  Third 
New  York  Cavalry  ; then  went  up  to  where  the  Forty- 
fourth  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Volunteers  were 
encamped,  near  the  fort.  There  we  found  them  hur- 
riedly engaged  in  packing  up.  Upon  inquiry  we  were 
informed  that  the  boys’  term  of  service  had  expired  the 
day  before,  and  that  they  were  to  leave  in  a transport 
that  night,  the  boat  having  arrived  while  Jones  and  I 


15 


216 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


were  at  the  burial  ground.  With  songs  and.  merry 
jests,  the  members  of  the  Forty-fourth  were  flying  hither 
and  thither,  packing  their  various  articles,  strapping 
them  up  in  their  knapsacks,  and  fastening  the  latter  on 
their  backs,  preparatory  to  making  a start.  When  all 
was  ready,  the  regiment  was  drawn  up  in  line,  while 
the  band  discoursed  sweet  music,  comprising  the  soul- 
inspiring  national  airs,  and  finally  ended  with  playing 
“Home  Sweet  Home”  as  they  marched  down  the  main 
street.  This  tune  made  the  boys,  whose  time  had  not 
expired,  and  who  were  gathered  around,  feel  homesick. 
I own  up  to  experiencing  such  a feeling.  Jones  and  I 
followed  them  down  to  the  wharf,  and  waited  there  until 
the  transport  sailed,  which  it  soon  did,  after  all  were  on 
board.  As  they  steamed  away,  they  were  greeted  with 
cheers  from  the  crews  of  the  different  gun-boats  in  the 
harbor,  and  from  all  the  soldiers  gathered  together  on 
the  wharf.  I cannot  tell  the  time  when  I experienced 
such  a lonesome  feeling  as  came  over  me  while  standing 
there  watching  their  departure.  Jones’  face,  as  I looked 
at  him,  wore  such  a woe-begone  expression,  that  despite 
my  own  visible  emotion,  I could  not  help  laughing  at 
him. 

“It’s  all  right,  Steve,  but  you  would  laugh  a 
great  deal  heartier  if  you  were  on  that  steamer,”  he  said, 
as  he  pointed  in  the  direction  of  the  fast  disappearing 
vessel. 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


217 


^‘Well,  never  mind  Jones,  we  will,  God  willing,  be 
taking  in  some  such  trip  as  that  when  our  time  expires, 
then  we  can^ enjoy  a laugh  at  our  own  expense.  Come 
on,  let’s  go  on  board  the  old  ‘‘Louisiana”  and  drown 
our  sorrow  in  a cup  of  tea.” 

“Well,  I guess  it’s  about  time;  see  the  signal  is 

» 

flying  for  the  liberty  men  to  come'  on  board.” 

Giving  one  last  look  at  the  steamer,  which  could  be 
faintly  discerned  in  the  distance,  as  she  was  rounding 
Hill’s  point,  we  bent  our  steps  in  the  direction  of  the 
wharf  opposite  where  our  gun-boat  was  anchored. 
Arriving  there,  the  dingy  soon  put  in  an  appearance, 
and  stepping  into  her  we  were  rowed  to  the  gun-boat. 
In  a few  moments  more  we  were  seated  around  our 
mess  cloth,  on  the  berth  deck,  busily  engaged  chatting 
with  the  boys  on  the  events  of  the  day,  and  chewing 
our  salt  horse  and  hard-tack,  washing  down  the  whole 
with  a quaff,  now  and  then,  of  very  strong  tea,  minus 
sugar,  minus  milk. 

The  next  morning  at  two  bells,  we  were  taken  on 
shore  in  the  launch.  We  had  with  us  a number  of 
new  head-boards,  and  having  procured  two  or  three 
hoes,  we  started  for  the  burying  ground,  accompanied 
by  Howes  Crowell,  Tom,  and  Jencks,  the  last  men- 
tioned having  been  detailed  at  my  request,  to  help  in 
cleaning  away  the  weeds  and  grass  from  the  path,  while 
Jones  swung  the  scythe.  It  was  tedious  work,  but  in 


218 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


a day  or  two,  we  had  the  weeds  cleared  away  from  the 
graves,  and  were  ready  to  commence  lettering.  We  ' 

I 

were  nearly  a week  at  this  task,  but  when  it  was  done 
we  were  more  than  rewarded  by  the  respectable  appear- 
ance  of  the  yard,  and  every  head-board  could  be  easily 
disciphered  even  while  standing  at  a distance. 

Letters  came  regularly  by  the  mail  steamers  two  or 
three  times  each  month,  sometimes  I received,  as  the 
boys  said,  more  than  my  allowance,  and  well  I mighty 
for  I corresponded  with  quite  a number  in  the  States 
trying  to  keep  them'  posted  in  our  movements. 

, Upon  returning  to  the  ship  one  day  after  working  on 
shore,  a letter  was  handed  to  me  by  Tomy  which  he 
said,  had  come  in  the  “Curlew”  that  afternoon.  I had 
noticed  the  “Curlew”  when  she  came  up  the  river,  but 
hardly  expected  a letter,  for  I had  received  three  by  the 
last  mail  boat.  Opening  it  I found  it  was  from  hbme 
and  it  informed  me  that  my  father  was  dead.  It  was 
so  sudden,  coming  so  soon  after  Lizzie’s  death,  that  I 
did  not  seem  to  realize  the  sad  news.  Lizzie  the 
youngest  of  the  family  had  passed  away,  and  now 
father,  the  head  of  the  family,  had  followed,  both  in  a 
few  months.  At  this  rate,  thought  I,  who  would  be 
left  to  welcome  Phil  and  I home,  provided  we  were 
spared  to  return  again.  My  eyes  filled  with  tears  that 
I coiild  not  force  back  ; this  second  sorrow  seemed  more 
than  I could  bear  ; but  hastily  brushing  aside  the  tear 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


219 


drops  that  were  welling  up  from  concealed  fountains, 
and  filling  my  eyes  to  overfiowing,  I went  forward  to 
the  forecastle  deck,  and  walked  back  and  forth  athwart 
ship,  until  the  mist  had  partially  cleared  from  before 
my  eyes.  Every  heart  beat  went  out  across  the  water 
— which  separated  us — to  those  dear  ones  left  to  me, 
who  in  our  absence,  had  the  brunt  of  the  sorrowful 
burden  to  bear.  Tom  joined  me  on  deck  while  I was 
wrestling  with  my  feelings  and  endeavoring  to  keep  pace 
with  me  as  I walked  excitedly  back  and  forth,  plied 

I 

me  with  questions  in  regard  to  my  sorrow.  I could 
only  reply  incoherently,  but  thrust  the  open  letter  into 
his  hand,  and  motioned  him  to  read  it,  which  he  pro- 
ceeded to  do,  seating  himself  on  the  capstan  while  he 
did  so.  Meanwhile  I continued  my  walk,  and  the  hard 
feelings  which  had  tried  to  predominate  over  the  better 
in  my  bosom,  in  spite  of  all  I could  do  to  the  contrary, 
seemingly  now  took  a different  turn,  and  I felt  myself 
becoming  more  resigned,  believing  “He  doeth  all  things 
well.” 

Tom  jumped  down  from  the  capstan  as  he  finished 
reading  the  letter  and  approached  me  holding  out  his 
hand.  I took  it  and  shook  it  till  he  winced. 

I 

“Steve,  old  fellow,  I am  truly  sorry  for  you,  and  I 
pity  Phil,  too,  poor  fellow  ! I wish  I had  persuaded 
him  to  visit  home  before  enlisting ; truly  it  must  be  a 


220 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


comfortable  solace  to  you  now,  Steve,  that  you  went 
home  before  starting  on  this  cruise.” 

‘‘Yes,  Tom,  I should  always  have  been  reminded 
that  I did  not  do  my  duty  if  I had  neglected  to  have 
gone  home  that  day  before  setting  out  on  this  perilous 
voyage.  But  it’s  terrible  hard  to  think  that  I could 
not  have  been  present  at  the  last  sad  rites,  and  looked 
once  more  into  the  dear  faces  before  they  were  con- 
signed to  their  last  resting  place.” 

“Cheer  up,”  said  Tom,  as  the  crew  began  to  gather 
around  and  question  me  in  regard  to  my  trouble,  “and, 
I pray  you  may  have  no  more  such  sombre  news  during^ 
our  term  of  service,”  he  continued,  grasping  me  again 
by  the  hand  and  giving  it  a hearty  wring. 

I briefly  stated  to  my  shipmates  as  they  gathered  on 
the  forecastle  the  extent  of  my  new  sorrow,  and  I had  not 
a doubt  of  the  genuineness  of  their  sympathy  expressed 
in  my  behalf.  One  cannot  always  bear  the  marks  of  a 
sorrow  felt  in  the  face,  especially  on  board  ship,  and 
although  I strove  to  put  on  a calm  and  even  a cheerful 
exterior,  many  days  elapsed  before  the  rough  edge  of 
my  sorrow  wore  away. 

One  beautiful  day  in  June,  a boat’s  crew  from  the 
“Louisiana”  was  ordered  ashore,  to  go  into  the  woods 
and  back  out  about  two  cords  of  wood  that  had  been 
cut  and  corded  up  by  the  rebels  previous  to  our  occu- 
pation of  the  town.  This  wood  was  in  a swamp 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


221 


opposite  the  gun-boat.  On  our  arrival  at  the  wood- 
side,  we  found  that  we  should  have  to  lay  a plank 
walk  from  the  edge  of  the  swamp  to  the  place  where 
the  wood  was  piled  up.  There  were  boards  in  plenty 
' around  us,  so  there  was  no  difficulty  in  procuring 
sufficient  for  our  needs.  It  was  a very  swampy  place, 
and  a large  number  of  lizards  were  seen  crawling 
about  and  protruding  their  heads  from  almost  every 
bog ; slimy,  nasty-looking  objects  they  were  indeed. 
The  boards  did  very  well  to  walk  on,  but  they  sunk 
below  the  surface  at  every  step  we  took,  and  as  most 
of  us  were  bare-foot  we  many  times  thought  that  we 
could  feel  the  slimy  creatures  at  our  feet,  and  when  by 
chance  a blade  of  grass  touched  the  bare  legs  a kick 
would  be  the  result  and  a jump  that  would  nearly  land 
some  one  into  the  mire.  One  of  the  men,  whose  name 

was  Reuben,  and  who  hailed  from  some  town  in  New 

\ 

Hampshire,  was  as  green  a specimen  of  humanity  as  it 
has  ever  been  my  fortune  to  come  across.  Many 
were  the  pranks  played  upon  him  by  his  mess- 
mates, but  he  never  seemed  to  get  mad,  and  good- 
naturedly  answered  back  our  sallys  of  wit  and  chaff. 
When  he  left  home  he  brought  with  him  a pair  of  num- 
ber eleven  boots.  Egad  ! what  boots  they  were.  On 
rainy  days  he  would  persist  in  wearing  them,  contrary 
to  all  orders  on  board  ship.  Reuben  was  with  us  when 
we  lugged  the  wood  out  of  the  swamp,  and  he  was  in 


f 


222 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


his  glory,  with  his  cow-hide  boots  on  and  his  pants 
thrust  into  the  legs.  For  once  the  boots  were  doing 
him  some  service,  as  he  could  go  where  we  durst  not 
follow,  so  the  fun  was  all  on  his  side  apparently. 

‘‘Gosh!”  he  said,  as  we  were  coming  out  of  the  ' 
swamp,  each  man  and  boy  with  a heavy  load  of  wood, 
“gosh  I there’s  a thundering  big  snake,”  and  he  gave  a 
wild  shout,  and  pranced  up  and  down  on  the  plank 
walk  like  a Comanche  Indian  in  the  war  dance. 

That  was  enough  for  us ; at  the  word  snake,  down 
went  the  wood  from  our  backs,  and  without  stopping 
to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  truth  in  Reuben’s  state- 
ment, we  all  bolted  for  the  edge  of  the  woods.  One  of 
the  men  in  front  stumbled,  and  those  immediately  after 
fell  over  him  and  each  other,  ker-splash  into  the 
mire.  Regaining  our  footing,  another  rush  was  made 
for  the  opening,  and  we  were  not  particular  to  keep  to 
the  plank  walk  either.  Up  to  our  knees  in  the  mire, 
away  we  went,  the  mud  flying  in  every  direction.  We 
were  sorry  pictures  to  behold,  all  covered  with  slime 
from  head  to  foot.  When  we  reached  the  hard  ground, 
we  threw  ourselves  down  on  the  grass,  kicking  up  our 
heels,  and  nearly  bursting  with  laughter,  as  we  eyed 
each  other  and  commented  on  our  appearance.  Soon 
we  discerned  Reuben  coming  out  of  the  woods  with  a 
load  of  wood  on  his  back  that  completely  hid  the  upper 
portion  of  his  body  from  our  view,  but  the  boots  were 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


223 


plainly  visible,  and  that’s  the  reason  we  knew  it  was  he  ; 
there  was  no  mistaking  the  boots.  With  a bland,  and 
almost  child-like  smile,  he  approached  us  and  threw  his 
load  down  upon  the  ground. 

‘‘Wall,  boys,”  he  said,  “I  was  mistaken  about  the 
snake ; it  was  only  a thundering  big  crooked  stick  that 
some  of  you  fellows  dropped.  But  by  jimminy  ! I was 
scared  some,  wa’nt  you?” 

Reuben  sold  us  out  cheap,  and  we  were  forced  to  own 
up  to  the  corn,  bitter  though  it  was,  to  be  sold  by  him. 
We  did  not  hear  the  last  of  it  for  many  a day.  At 
this  juncture  we  noticed  a signal  flying  on  the  mast- 
head of  the  gun-boat  for  our  return,  so  we  boarded 
our  boat,  and  silently  rowed  to  the  “Louisiana,” 
where  we  were  greeted  on  our  arrival,  with  shouts 
of  laughter,  and  many  a joke  at  the  expense  of 
our  delapidated  clothing,  as  we  climbed  on  board. 
Reuben  brought  up  our  rear  as  usual.  I was  just 
about  going  down  the  fore  hatchway,  when  the  cry  of 
“Man  overboard  !”  came  from  the  port  gangway.  I 
ran  to  the  side  and  looked  over,  and  beheld  Reuben 
under  water,  his  hands  and  feet  going  like  pumping 
engines,  in  his  endeavors  to  regain  the  surface  ; but  it 
was  of  no  avail,  his  boots  were  too  heavy  for  him  to 
pump  himself  to  the  surface.  Just  then,  some  one  of 
the  crew  ran  across  the  deck,  and  diving  overboard, 
swam  to  him  "and  seized  him ; Reuben  returned  the 


224 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


compliment  and  lay  hold  of  his  savior.  Reuben  wore 
his  hair  very  long,  and  it  could  be  seen  just  below  the 
surface  of  the  water,  resembling  a great  bunch  of  sea- 
weed bobbing  up  and  down.  A man  in  the  small  boat 
close  to  the  ship’s  side  pushed  out  an  oar  to  them,  which 
they  seized  and  were  pulled  to  the  surface  and  then 
hauled  into  the  boat.  Reuben  was  nearly  pegged  out 
through  his  exertions,  and  was  unconscious  for  upwards 
of  twenty  minutes,  but  we  rolled  him  in  hot  blankets, 
forced  plenty  of  stimulants  down  his  throat,  and  in 
time  he  was  all  right.  The  boots  which  had  come  so 
near  anchoring  him  to  the  bottom  of  Tar  river,  were 
his  particular  aversion  ever  after,  although  he  vowed 
that  he  would  keep  them  and  take  them  home  with 
him  when  his  time  expired,  and  he  did. 

Fourth  of  July  was  in  the  near  prospective,  the 
glorious  old  Fourth  ! What  shall  we  do  to  keep  up  its 
observance?  was  asked  by  one  and  all  as  the  time  drew 
near.  Certainly  a national  salute  would  be  fired  from 
each  man-of-war  vessel  in  the  harbor,  but  what  did  that 
signify?  We  must  have  something  more  than  that, 
and  so  we  set  our  wits  to  work,  to  plan  something 
more  lasting  than  the  firing  of  guns,  work  that  really 
was  nothing  new  for  us  to  do.  It  was  not  until  the 
night  before  the  Fourth  that  any  decision  was  arrived 
at.  Mr.  Westervelt  came  to  our  assistance  on  the 
morning  of  the  Fourth,  and  informed  the  crew  that  he 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


225 


had  thought  the  matter  over  in  the  night,  and  had  come 
to  the  conclusion,  that  if  the  captains  of  the  other  gun- 
boats in  the  harbor,  would  lend  a hand  and  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  the  thing,  by  allowing  a boat’s  crew  from 
each  steamer  to  attend, ‘‘  Why,”  said  he,  propose 
a regetta,  or  a race  between  the  three  boats’  crews.” 

It  was  just  the  thing,  and  the  crew  were  unanimous 
in  its  favor.  The  lieutenant  ordered  the  second  cutter 
away  immediately,  and  in  person,  went  to  the  gun-boat 
“Ceres”  to  obtain  permission,  then  to  the  “Commodore 
Hull,”  and  from  the  captain  of  each  boat  he  obtained 
permission  to  allow  the  crew  to  take  part  in  the  pro- 
posed race.  They  were. all  delighted  with  the  idea  and 
promised  to  have  the  men  at  their  stations  promptly  at 
2 :30  o’clock. 

Upon  his  return,  the  lieutenant  reported  his  success, 
and  we  all  manifested  our  appreciation  of  his  efforts  by  a 
unanimous  shaking  of  hands  all  round,  and  the  smiling 
faces  of  the  officers  and  the  men  showed  how  great  were 
the  anticipations  of  the  morrow. 

The  morning  of  the  Fourth  dawned  bright  and  fair, 
and  gave  every  indication  of  being  a pleasant  day.  The 
day  was  ushered  in  by  the  firing  of  cannon  both  from  ship 
and  shore.  The  men  flew  around  to  do  their  usual 
morning  duties.  Mr.  Lay,  the  chief  engineer,  ordered 
up  from  below  an  infernal  machine  that  he  had  con- 
structed during  his  leisure  hours,  and  which  he  now 


226 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


thought  would  be  a fitting  time  to  try.  The  machine  was 
put  into  the  launch,  and  Mr.  Lay,  accompanied  by  two 
men,  got  in  after  it,  and  pushed  out  to  an  old  shallop 
that  lay  at  anchor  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  The 
machine  was  fastened  in  the  center  of  the  boat.  It  was 
of  cylindrical  shape,  and  a long,  hollow  shaft  extended 
right  through  it,  and  at  one  end  was  fastened  a torpedo, 
so  constructed  that  when  the  shaft  was  run  out — which 
was  done  by  turning  two  cranks  worked  by  a man  on 
each  side — the  torpedo  would  drop  oflp  and  explode  at 
the  same  time.  The  feat  of  blowing  up  the  old  vessel 
was  successfully  accomplished,  and  the  means  employed 
showed  the  feasibility  of  Mr.  Lay’s  plan  to  destroy  a 
much  larger  vessel.  It  was  dinnertime  when  Mr.  Lay 
returned  to  the  ‘‘Louisiana”,  and  he  w^as  heartily  con- 
gratulated by  the  other  officers,  on  the  success  of  the 
machine,  to  perfect  which  he  had  labored  so  long  and 
faithfully. 

Soon  after  dinner,  boats  from  the  “Ceres”  and  the 
“Hull”  arrived  alongside,  and  the  oflScers  and  men  came 
on  board  to  arrange  the  preliminaries.  A large  num- 
ber of  the  officers  of  the  other  two  boats,  and  officers 
from  the  fort  came  on  board  to  witness  the  finish  and 
encourage  the  men.  The  arrangements  were  soon  per- 
fected and  all  was  nearly  ready  when  Tom  said  that 
there  was  one  thing  that  had  been  neglected. 

“What  is  that,  boy?”  said  some  one. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


227 


“Why,  the  naming  of  the  boats,  to  be  sure,”  said 
Tom. 

“Yes,  yes,”  shouted  out  fifty  yoices  at  once. 

“That’s  a good  idea,  Tom,”  said  Joe  Reynolds,  who 
was  coxswain  of  our  boat. 

“Well,  what  name  shall  we  give  to  our  boat,  Steve  ?” 
he  said,  turning  to  me  as  I was  the  nearest  person  to 
him . 

“I  think  ‘Julia’  would  be  a good  name.  I like  the 
sound  of  the  name  of  ‘Julia,’”  sang  out  Joe.  How  is 
it  it,  fellows,  shall  it  be  ‘Julia,’  or  have  some  of  you  a 
name  to  suggest?” 

There  was  a difference  of  opinion  as  to  what  name 
should  be  adopted,  but  the  crew  finally  adopted  the 
name  “Julia.”  In  the  meantime,  the  crew  ,of  the 
other  boats  had  been  busy  selecting  names  for  their 
respective  crafts,  and  succeeded,  after  a good  deal  of 
chaff  had  been  thrown  back  and  forth  among  them. 
The  crew  pf  the  “Commodore  ” chose  for  their  boat  the 
name  “Betsey  Ann,”  and  the  crew  of  the  “Ceres” 
called  theirs  “Aunt  Phebe,”  which  name  being  made 
known  waSy hailed  with  acclamation  and  delight.  The 
coxswain  said  that  Aunt  Phebe  had  not  been  beaten  in 
any  thing  yet  she  had  undertaken,  and  he  made  his 
brag  that  the  representative  of  the  name  would  come 
in  ahead  of  the  others.  Prizes  were  offered  by  the 

I 

officers  to  their  various  crews  to  induce  them  to  greater 


228 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


exertion.  A prize  of  ten  pounds  of  tobacco  was  offered 
for  the  boat  that  came  in  first.  The  second  prize  was 
five  pounds.  The  starting  point  was  a buoy  right 
abreast  of  the  ‘‘Louisiana,”  and  the  track  was  a mile 
and  a half  and  return.  The  boats  were  arrano^ed  in 
the  following  order  : The  “Julia  ” of  the  “Louisiana 
the  “Betsey  Ann”  of  the  “Commodore  Hull,”  and  the 
“ Aunt  Phebe  ” of  the  “Ceres.”  All  being  in  readi- 
ness, the  word  was  given  to  go,  and  the  Jack  tars  bent 
to  their  oars  and  fairly  made  the  boats  leap  out  of  the 
water  with  the  impetus  of  their  first  strokes.  At  the 
start  the  “Betsey  Ann”  took  the  lead  and  held  it  part 
way  down  the  stretch,  but  the  “Julia”  was  only  a half- 
boat’s-length  behind  her,  while  the  “Aunt  Phebe”  was 
two  lengths  behind,  and  working  hard  to  make  up  the 
gap  as  they  neared  the  buoy.  At  Eodman’s  point  the 
“Julia”  was  ahead,  and  the  “Aunt  Phebe”  had  taken 
the  second  place,  while  the  “Betsey  Ann”  was  half-a- 
leno^th  astern.  The  bovs  of  the  “Louisiana”  who 

were  on  board  that  ship  climbed  up  into  the  rigging 

# 

and  cheered  them  to  greater  exertions,  although  the 
distance  was  too  great  to  make  ourselves  heard,  but 
then  we  must  do  something  to  give  our  excitement 
vent.  As  the  “Julia”  rounded  the  buoy  she  spurted 
and  left  the  “Aunt  Phebe”  two  lengths  behind.  The 
“Betsey  Aim’s  ” crew  now  did  their  level  best,  and 
as  they  neared  the  starting  point  they  came  up  and 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


229 


took  a second  place,  and  with  the  utmost  exertions  on 
their  part  tried  to  lessen  the  distance  between  them  and 
the  ‘‘Julia.”  But  it  was  of  no  avail.  As  they  came  in 
on  the  home  stretch  the  crews  laid  themselves  out  to 
win.  Cheer  after  cheer  arose  from  the  gun-boats  and 
from  the  throng  of  soldiers  that  had  gathered  together 
on  the  wharf  to  witness  the  sport,  and  who  seemed  to  be 
as  eager  as  ourselves.  The  “Julia”  still  kept  the  lead 
and  as  she  rounded  the  buoy  and  turned  her  prow  in 
the  direction  of  the  “Louisiana,”  the  crew  were  greeted 
with  cheer  after  cheer  and  we  rejoiced  with  exceeding 
great  joy.  At  the  same  time  we  did  not  spare  our 
exultation  at  the  defeat  of  the  other  two.  The  “Bet- 
sey Ann”  came  in  second,  and  the  “Aunt  Phebe” 
twenty  seconds  behind  the  “Betsey  Ann.”  As  the 
latter  boat  rounded  the  buoy  and  laid  on  their  oars, 
after  their  severe  exertions,  they  were  greeted  with  cat- 
calls and  sundry  other  obnoxious  expressions  from  the 
crew  of  the  “Louisiana,”  for  we  had  not  forgotten  their 
boast  before  starting.  Indeed,  before  the  start,  we  of 
the  “Louisiana”  were  extremely  doubtful  of  the  result, 
as  the  crews  of  the  two  rival  boats  were  all  picked 
men.  ’ So  were  ours  as  far  as  that  is  concerned,  but  we 
had  a number  of  small-sized  men  in  our  crew,  while 
the  men  in  the  other  boats  were  all  of  a large-boned  and 
robust  type.  But  blood  will  tell,  and  the  bone  and 


230 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


sinews  won  for  us  a victory  over  the  heavy  weights  and 
picked  men  of  the  others. 

Other  races  followed,  in  which  we  did  not  always 
come  out  victors,  but  they  were  tame  beside  this  one, 
consequently  I shall  not  mention  any  of  them.  It  was 
rather  galling  for  the  crews  of  the  beaten  boats  to  have 
to  stand  so  much  chaffing  from  those  they  had  despised 
at  the  beginning,  but  they  were  fairly  beaten  and  when 
they  turned  the  prows  of  their  boats  homeward,  some 
good-natured  seaman  sang  out  to  the  crew  of  the  “Aunt 
Phebe”  to  change  their  boat’s  name  the  next  time,  as  it 
was  rather  suggestive  of  too  much  weight ; a remark 
that  provoked  much  mirth  among  us. 

Eight  bells  struck  soon  after  the  departure  of  the 
defeated  boats,  and  all  turned  to  at  the  boatswain’s  call  to 
supper,  to  help  to  demolish  the  extra  canned  meats  and 
potatoes  with  which  we  were  supplied  in  honor  of  the  day. 
Then  the  dessert  consisted  of  several  large  puddings, 
which  proved  to  be  Indian,  and  very  good  too  consid- 
ering the  cook’s  wherewith  to  manufacture  them,  and 
he  deserved  all  the  credit  we  gave  him  that  day  for  his 
timely  efforts  to  pamper  our  tastes  as  well  as  cater  to 
our  whetted  appetites. 


CHAPTER  XIII, 


• 

THE  SEIGE  OF  LITTLE  WASHINGTON. 

The  first  day  of  April,  1863,  opened  with  the  rebel 
General  HilFs  compliment  to  Little  Washino^ton 

A.  O 

in  the  shape  of  a fusillade  with  a force  of  ten  thousand 
or  more  men.  We  were  completely  surrounded,  and 
every  avenue  of  escape  or  retreat  was  cut  off.  The  sol- 
diers in  the  forts  were  hemmed  in  by  the  rebels  in  the 
form  of  a half-circle,  their  cannon  bearing  directly  on 
our  works.  They  had  managed  to  throw  up  earth- 
works during  the  night,  and  about  five  or  six  o’clock  in 
the  morning  opened  fire  on  the  fort.  The  shot  fell 
thick  and  fast  within  the  fort,  and  pierced  the  flag-staff 
many  times,  showing  the  accuracy  of  their  aim. 

Fort  Washington  was  defended  by  the  Twenty- 
seventh  and  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  regiments,  a 
portion  only  of  these  regiments  being  in  the  fort ; three 
companies  of  the  loyal  North  Carolina  troops,  one  com- 
pany of  the  Third  New  York  cavalry  and  about  one 
hundred  negroes.  The  enemy  had  posted  strong  bat- 
teries at  Rodman’s  point.  Hill’s  and  Swan  point,  thereby 
16 


232 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


holding  the  river  for  a distance  of  eight  miles,  and  ren- 
dering an  approach  by  water  with  wooden  boats  an 
impossibility.  They  made  a complete  cordon  round 
the  town.  At  Rodman's  point  the  rebels  erected  a bat- 

h 

tery  of  Whitworth  breech-loading  guns,  and  at  five 
o’clock,  April  1st,  we  were  awakened  by  the  cry  of  the 
boatswain’s  mate  calling  all  hands  to  quarters.  Every 
man  was  out  of  his  hammock  in  an  instant ; the  roar 
of  the  cannon  and  the  screaming  of  the  shells  as  they 
fizzed  over  our  deck,  could  be  distinctly  heard  by  us,  and 
not  waiting  to  get  my  clothes  on,  I gathered  them  up 
in  my  arms,  rushed  on  deck,  and  dressed  myself  at  the 
guns.  At  Rodman’s  point,  the  ^‘Commodore  Hull,” 
commanded  by  William  Saltonstall,  of  Salem,  was 
hotly  engaged  with  the  enemy.  Above  Rodman’s  point 
and  nearly  abreast  with  the  “Hull,” in  acorn-field,  the 
rebs  mounted  a long,  thirty-two  pound  gun,  and  the 
firing  from  that  into  the  town  and  among  the  shipping 
was  rapid  and  continuous,  the  shells  bursting  and  tear- 
ino:  through  houses,  forcing  the  inmates  to  seek  shelter 
in  their  cellars.  On  shore  the  fort  could  be  heard 
pounding  away,  and  as  yet  we  had  received  no  orders 
to  open  fire,  but  as  the  shot  and  shell  began  to  come 
uncomfortably  close.  Commander  Renshaw  gave  the 
order  to  open  fire  with  the  eight-inch  shell  gun  upon  the 
enemy  in  the  corn-field.  Every  man  sprang  with  alac- 
rity to  his  place  at  the  guns,  and  in  a few  seconds  we  were 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


233 


hammering  away  at  the  rebs  in  the  corn-field  and  directed 
some  shots  at  the  battery  at  Rodman’s  point.  We  silenced 
the  gun  in  the  corn-field  for  a time,  but  it  was  not  long 
before  they  opened  fire  again.  The  “Hull”  ran  in  too 
close  at  Rodman’s  point,  and  got  hard  and  fast  aground. 
The  rebs  quickly  became  aware  of  this  fact,  and  fought 
their  guns  like  mad.  The  “Hull”  soon  expended  her 
ammunition,  and  Commander  Renshaw  ordered  the 
boats  away  and  the  crews  supplied  her  with  the  needed 
material.  The  supply  boats  were  kept  going  until  nights 
set  in,  when  we  were  enabled  to  tow  her  off  and  out  of 
range.  General  Foster  in  command  of  the  land  forces, 
would  not  consent  for  the  “Louisiana”  to  leave  her  posi- 
tion at  the  bridge,  else  Commander  Renshaw  would 
have  engaged  the  Rodman’s  point  battery.  In  the 
meantime  the  rebs  had  built  a cotton  battery  right  under 
our  nose  in  the  swamp  abreast  of  us,  and  the  first  we 
knew  about  it  was  when  they  opened  fire  on  the  “Lou- 
isiana,” bursting  two  shells  in  quick  succession  directly 
over  us.  Immediately  all  hands  were  called  to  quar- 
ters ; the  enemies’  guns  were  well  served,  and  they 
dropped  the  shot  and  shell  in  a lively  manner  around 
us.  We  fired  a broad-side  from  the  port  battery  ; then 
ran  the  guns  in,  loaded  with  grape  and  canister,  and 
trained  them  on  the  spot  from  whence  the  shots  were 
fired.  As  they  fired,  we  answered  them  with  a broad- 
side from  the  guns  double  loaded  with  grape  and  canis- 


234  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

ter.  The  guns  were  then  loaded  with  five-second  shell 
and  in  a short  time  we  set  fire  to  the  cotton  bales  and  dis- 
mounted their  guns.  Towards  night  they  came  back 
and  tried  to  get  their  guns  away,  but  we  opened  on 
them  with  three-second  shrapnel  shell,  and  they 
retreated  from  the  spot  in  disorder,  leaving  all  behind. 

The  rebs  brought  a thirty-two  pound  Parrott  rifie 
gun  to  bear  on  us  from  the  roadside  at  the  end  of  the 
bridge.  The  first  shot  they  fired  struck  us,  carrying  away 
our  mizzen  gaflp.  It  seemed  an  age  before  we  got  the 
order  to  fire,  and  in  the  meantime  the  rebels  peppered 
us  well.  At  last  Lieutenant  Westervelt,  who  was 
reserving  his  order  on  account  of  the  ammunition  beino;^ 
short,  gave  us  the  order  to  fire.  We  brought  three  guns 
to  bear  on  the  rebels  in  the  woods  and  the  ball  opened 
in  earnest.  We  had  fired  five  rounds  when  we  received 
the  order  to  cease  firing.  I looked  at  the  lieutenant 
in  amazement ; what  could  he  mean  by  such  an 
order  ? Here  the  rebels  were  sending  in  their  shot  and 
shell  as  fast  as  they  could  load  and  fire,  and  the  order 
came  to  cease  firing  on  our  side.  It  seemed  Comman- 
der Renshaw  was  on  shore  when  the  fio^ht  be^an  at  the 
bridge,  conferring  with  General  Foster,  but  as  soon  as 
he  could  make  his  hail  heard  on  board,  the  lieutenant 
sent  a boat  ashore  for  him.  He  came  on  board,  and, 
looking  round  upon  the  oflScers  and  crew,  demanded  of 
he  lieutenant  why  he  was  firing  away  the  ammunition. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


235 


^‘Why,  sir,”  said  the  lieutenant,  “they  will  shoot  us  to 
pieces.”  “I  don’t  care,”  replied  Commander  Renshaw, 
“if  they  shoot  your  heads  off;  send  the  men  below; 
then  I shall  be  sure  there  will  be  no  more  firing, for  the 
present  on  our  part.  Why,  our  ammunition  is  almost 
expended,  and  should  the  rebels  make  up  their  minds 
to  charge  in  over  the  bridge,  what  resistance  could  we 
make?  Boatswain,  pipe  the  men  below.”  And  there 
we  lay  on  the  berth  deck,  while  the  rebs  sent  in  their 
compliments,  without  the  power  to  return  them. 

General  Spinola,  with  his  brigade,  on  the  fourth  or 
fifth  day  of  the  siege,  co-operated  with  our  forces,  but 
the  attempt  failed.  Hill’s  point  and  Swan  point  are 
nearly  opposite  each  other.  The  rebel  battery  of  the  for- 
mer was  posted  upon  a high  bluff,  back  from' the  point, 
commanding  the  river  up  and  down.  Below  Hill’s 
point,  the  Union  gun-boats  and  transports  laden  with 
troops  had  gathered  and  were  trying,  but  in  vain,  to 
render  us  some  assistance.  The  gunboat  “Hunchback” 
engaged  the  Hill’s  point  battery,  but  the  blulf  was  so 
high  that  it  was  extremely  difficult  for  the  crew  to 
elevate  their  pieces  at  short  range  to  accomplish  any- 
thing, and  at  long  range  the  shells  would  not  affect  the 
rebs  much.  The  “Hunchback”  had  a very  heavy 
battery  of  hundred  pound  guns,  but  she  was  of  wood, 
and  consequently  could  not  fight  long  at  any  one  time. 


$ 


236  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

but  would  steam  up  and  send  in  her  compliments,  and 
then  retire  beyond  range. 

On  the  sixth  day  of  the  siege,  the  gunboat  “Ceres’^ 
ran  the  blockade  with  ammunition  on  board.  She  came 
up  by  the  batteries  while  the  enemy  did  not  fire  a shot 
at  her.  As  soon  as  she  had  unloaded,  two  companies 
of  the  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts,  and  some  other 
troops  were  marched  on  board,  to  proceed  to  and  land  at  - 
Kodman’s  point,  for  the  conclusion  arrived  at  by  our 
commanders,  was  that  the  rebels  had  retreated.  But 
they  found  the  rebs  there,  for  they  commenced  a heavy 
fire  from  six  guns  as  soon  as  the  ‘‘Ceres”  was  within 
short  range.  The  “Ceres”  returned  the  fire,  and  wa& 
backing  away  from  the  point  when  she  ran  aground  on 
the  fiats  within  point  blank  range  of  the  rebel  batteries. 
The  soldiers  stood  so  thick  on  the  deck  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  them  to  move  about.  The  scene  baffles 
description.  The  steamer  dpened  fire  on  the  batteries,  ' 
and  kept  up  a dogged  fight,  while  three  boats  were 
manned  from  our  ship,  and  two  from  the  “Hull”  to  go 
to  her  assistance.  Tom  and  I were  both  ordered  into 
one  of  the  boats.  Arriving  there,  the  soldiers,  who 
were  cooly  awaiting  our  arrival,  were  taken  from  the 
“Ceres”  and  landed  on  the  opposite  shore,  under  fire  all 
the  time  from  the  rebel  batteries.  Three  of  the  soldiers 
were  wounded.  In  time  we  succeeded  in  lightening 
the  boat  so  that  she  could  get  off.  The  boys  were  cool 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


237 


and  worked  with  a will,  and  after  all,  the  rebels’  trick 
did  not  work  as  successfully  as  they  had  anticipated. 

We  were  now  supplied  with  ammunition  enough  to 
last  a few  days,  and  Mr.  Mills,  the  carpenter,  two 
others  of  the  crew,  Jones  and  Holmes,  and  myself, 
were  sent  on  shore  to  construct  a powder  magazine  in 
one  corner  of  a brick  storehouse  on  the  wharf.  We 
built  a board  partition  five  feet  from  the  brick  wall,  on 
two  sides,  and  a double  partition  on  the  other  sides, 
and  filled  the  space  between  them  with  earth,  while  the 
floor  overhead  was  covered  five  feet  deep  with  dirt, 
thereby  making  it  bomb-proof.  We  worked  hard 
under  fire  from  the  rebel  batteries  all  the  while, 
and  consequently  were  in  great  danger  of  being  blown 
to  atoms.  The  building  was  struck  a number  of  times, 
but  we  kept  right  on  at  our  work,  and  soon  accom- 
plished our  dangerous  task.  Our  blacksmith  work 
was  done  at  the  lower  end  of  the  town,  where  there 
was  a blacksmith  shop,  and  a colored  man  was  the 
toiler.  There  the  carpenter  had  the  hinges  manu- 
factured for  the  door  of  the  magazine.  The  contraband 
blacksmith  did  not  like  the  work,  as  the  smoke  from  his 

I 

forge  informed  the  rebels  that  something  was  being 
made  to  order,  and  it  drew  the  fire  from  the  rebel  bat- 
teries in  that  direction.  I was  sent  down  there  one  day 
to  give  him  instructions  about  the  hinges  before  men- 
tioned, and  as  I was  passing  down  the  street  leading 


238 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


towards  the  shop,  a thirty-two  pound  shot  from  the 
enemy’s  battery  struck  an  iron  fence  just  in  front  of  me 
in  a glancing  way,  shattering  the  fence  and  hurling  the 
fragments  around  me  like  a small  hail-storm.  I crossed 
to  the  other  side  of  the  street  and  kept  on  my  way 
towards  the  blacksmith  shop,  not,  however,  without  a 
feeling  of  nervousness  at  my  narrow  escape  from  injury 
or  death  from  the  hurling  pieces  of  iron.  Arriving  at 
the  shop  I went  in ; the  blacksmith  had  just  left  his 
forge  for  a moment  and  was  engaged  working  at  the 
vice  on  the  work-bench,  when  another  thirty-two  pound 
solid  shot  entered  from  the  rear  of  the  shop  and  passed 
out  over  the  forge.  If  the  man  had  been  at  the  forge 
then  it  would  have  taken  his  head  off.  This  I know  by 
actual  measurement. 

‘‘Gorra  mighty,  how  dem  rebs  do  frow  dar  i’n  !” 
exclaimed  the  astonished  contraband. 

I hurried  him  on  with  the  job,  and  soon  had  the 
hinges  to  suit  me.  Then  I informed  the  blacksmith 
that  he  could  close  his  shop  and  go  up  to  the  fort. 
The  hinges  fitted  perfectly,  and  our  magazine  was 
secure  from  harm,  as  far  as  the  rebels  were  concerned. 
The  fleet  in  the  meantime  was  still  below  the  batteries, 
and  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  hope  for  us  in  that 
direction,  although  numberless  experiments  were  made 
by  their  commanders  to  break  through  the  blockade 
and  come  to  our  assistance,  but  without  avail.  Our 


239 


V 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


commanders  did  not  know  the  situation  below,  and 
there  was  no  possible  way  of  finding  out  except  to  run 
the  rebel  batteries.  At  length  Master’s  Mate  McKeever 
informed  Commander  Renshaw  that  if  he  would  furnish 
him  with  four  men  he  would  run  the  blockade  or  sink 
in  the  attempt.  It  was  a hazardous  undertaking,  but 
there  was  no  other  way  to  get  dispatches  to  the  fieet 
below  or  receive  word  from  them.  Our  commander 
hesitated  a moment,  and  then  called  for  volunteers. 
Half  the  ship’s  company  responded  to  the  call.  Ren- 
shaw informed  them  when  in  line,  of  the  dangers  and 
perhaps  death  in  the  undertaking,  and  asked  them  if 
they  were  willing  to  face  it. 

‘‘Yes,  yes,”  exclaimed  one  and  all. 

“Well,  then,  I will  proceed  to  pick  out  the  men  I 
want.” 

He  then  selected  four  able  seamen  from  those  drawn 
up  on  the  port  side.  I wish  I could  remember  their 
names,  but  I can  only  recall  one,  and  only  his  last 
name  : Bartlett,  from  Boston,  Massj 
, The  dispatches  destined  for  the  fieet  below  Hill’s 
point  were  hastily  put  in  a package  and  sealed.  Mr. 
Renshaw  then  shook  hands  with  the  brave  officer, 
wished  him  God-speed,  and  instructed  him  in  the 
event  of  their  being  taken  prisoners  by  the  rebels,  to 
destroy  the  dispatches,  so  that  they  should  not  fall  into 
the  enemies’  hands  ; all  of  which  Mr.  McKeever  prom- 


240 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


ised  faithfully  to  do.  He,  with  his  chosen  men,  then 
proceeded  to  land.  At  the  lower  wharf,  they  procured 
a sail-boat,  and  boarding  her,  hoisted  sail  and  were  soon 
fairly  under  way.  The  wind  was  blowing  fresh  down 
the  river,  which  was  just  what  they  desired.  They  were 
watched  from  the  vessels  in  the  harbor,  and  by  the  sol- 
diers on  the  shore  with  eager  eyes  and  fast-beating 
hearts.  As  the  sail-boat  neared  the  first  battery  at 
Rodman’s  point  all  noise  was  hushed  on  board  the 
‘‘Louisiana.”  Nearer  and  nearer  the  battery  the  boat 
went  skimming  along. 

“Why,”  exclaimed  some  one  of  the  crew  on  board 
of  the  “Louisiana,”  “they  are  not  going  to  fire  on 
them.”  The  boat  was  now  directly  off  Rodman’s  point 
battery  ; a blue  smoke  was  observed  to  rise,  and  bang  ! 
bang  ! bang  ! thundered  the  cannon.  The  shot  was 
seen  by  us  to  strike  just  ahead  of  the  sail-boat  and  then 
ricocheted  towards  the  opposite  shore.  As  fast  as  the 
rebels  could  load  and  fire,  they  hurled  their  death  mes- 
sengers at  the  tiny  boat  and  her  brave  crew.  Not  a 
shot,  however,  seemed  to  take  effect,  although  the  crew 
were  wet  to  the  skin,  so  close  did  the  iron  hail-storm 
patter  in  the  water  around  them.  The  “Commodore 
Hull”  at  the  point,  kept  up  a steady  fire  upon  the  rebel 
battery,  as  also  did  the  “Louisiana,”  and  we  did  not 
cease  firing  until  the  sail-boat  was  out  of  range  of  the 
rebel  guns.  The  fire  from  the  two  gun-boats  seemed 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


241 


to  bother  the  rebels  greatly,  and  they  did  not  work 
their  pieces  so  effectually  as  they  would  otherwise  have 
done,  had  we  let  them  alone.  At  the  boatswain’s  call 
to  cease  firing,  we  threw  our  sponge  and  rammers  upon 
the  deck,  and  all  rushed  forward  to  watch  the  boat 
which  was  still  in  sight  of  us  and  fast  nearing  the  other 
or  lower  battery  at  Hill’s  point.  The  Johnnies  were 
firing  rapidly  at  her,  but  owing  to  her  swift  passage 
through  the  water,  they  were  unable  to  get  the  range. 
The  only  danger  from  the  battery  now  was  from  chance 
shots.  Suddenly,  when  she  was  nearly  off  Hill’s  point ' 
she  took  to  the  middle  of  the  river,  thereby  placing 
her  crew  in  danger  of  being  hit  by  the  rifle  men  on  the 
opposite  shore.  This  position  she  maintained  although 
the  sharp  shooters  lining  the  shore  poured  volley  after 
volley  at  the  devoted  craft  and  her  gallant  crew.  Faster 
and  faster  flew  the  shot  and  shell,  and  still  the  little 
craft,  like  a winged  creature,  sped  on,  now  right 
abreast  of  the  battery,  and  a few  moments  more  beyond, 
with  the  fire  from  the  Johnnies  in  her  rear.  But  not  a 
splinter  flew  from  the  little  bark.  A few  moments 
more  and  they  were  out  of  range,  fast  nearing  the  fleet 
that  could  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye  below  the  lower 
batteries  and  out  of  range  of  them. 

Three  ringing  cheers  from  the  sailors  on  the  ships, 
and  the  soldiers  on  the  shore  proclaimed  the  safe 
arrival  among  the  fleet.  In  a night  or  two  after- 


242 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


wards,  they  returned  up  by  the  batteries  with 
muffled  oars,  eluding  the  rebel  pickets  on  the 
river,  who  were  sent  out  by  the  rebs  to  intercept  them, 
and  rowed  safely  into  the  harbor.  They  were  joyously 
met  on  their  return  to  the  ship  by  their  mess-mates,  and 
their  names  were  entered  on  the  log-book  by  our 
‘‘yeoman,”  Mr.  Ross,  as  the  bravest  of  the  brave. 
During  the  siege  the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  went 
across  the  bridge  on  a reconnoissance.  They  had  a 
brush  with  the  rebs  who  were  in  force  and  held  the 
road  beyond  the  bridge.  The  Forty-fourth  retired  in  ’ 
good  order  after  a sharp  interchange  of  leaden  courtesies. 
One  morning  a gun’s  crew  was  chosen  from  the  “Louis- 
iana” to  go  on  shore  and  man  and  fight  a twelve-pound 
howitzer,  placed  in  position  outside  the  fort  and  pro- 
tected by  sand  bags.  Percussion  shell  was  used.  Tom 
was  one  of  the  crew  picked  out  to  join  the  expedition, 
and  according  to  his  description  of  the  fight  or  duel,  on 
his  return,  they  did  the  enemy  considerable  damage. 
Finally  our  provisions  ran  short,  and  to  starve  or  sur- 
render seemed  our  only  alternative.  Yet  we  fought 
on.  When  the  ammunition  was  all  expended  and  our 
power  to  resist  exhausted,  then,  and  not  until  then 
would  our  commander  entertain  the  thoughts  of  sur- 
rendering. 

On  the  morning  of  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  siege, 
Commander  Renshaw  sent  word  for  Master’s  Mate 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


243 


McKeever  to  report  to  him  aft  immediately.  The 
officers  were  on  the  “qui  vive”  to  learn  why  he 
was  called  aft,  and  anxiously  awaited  his  re-appearance 
that  they  might  be  able  to  learn,  if  possible,  from  his 
lips  the  reason.  Visions  of  a possible  surrender,'  or  a 
trip  to  Richmond,  flitted  through  my  mind,  but  I put 
them  aside  immediately  they  were  entertained.  Mr. 
McKeever  was  closeted  with  Renshaw  and  our  executive 
officer,  Mr.  Westervelt,  for  nearly  an  hour,  and  the 
other  officers  were  on  the  anxious  seat  during  that 
period ; but  at  last  he  came  forward  on  the  quarter 
deck,  where  he  was  approached  by  his  brother  officers. 
They  conversed  in  low  tones  for  nearly  half  an  hour, 
and  the  crew  watched  them  anxiously  and  listened  in- 
tently outside  the  fife-rail,  for  an  inkling  of  what  was 
in  the  wind.  It  was  something  of  importance  every 
one  on  board  knew.  You  wonder  how  the  crew  could 
know  anything  about  it,  I suppose.  It  is  simply  im- 

I 

possible  to  keep  any  thing  secret  aboard  ship  any  great 
length  of  time.  A word  let  drop  by  some  incautious 
officer  in  the  presence  of  one  of  the  ship’s  boys,  a sign 
from  one  officer  to  another,  two  or  more  talking 
together  in  a knot,  meant  that  something  unusual  was 
about  to  be  disclosed.  It  did  not  come  out,  neverthe- 
less, until  the  afternoon  of  that  dav,  when  the  crew 
were  called  to  quarters,  and  volunteers  were  asked  for, 
to  run  the  rebel  batteries  again.  As  before,  half  the 


244 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


ship’s  company  responded;  twenty  men  were  chosen, 
Tom  and  I among  the  rest.  Master’s  Mate  McKeever 
was  again  put  in  command  of  the  party.  The  men  were 
dismissed  with  the  order  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
for  a call.  The  second  cutter  was  then  piped  away 
and  manned  by  the  regular  crew.  Then  rowing  to  the 
lower  wharf,  the  schooner  “J.  C.  Alores”  was  secured 
(she  had  come  up  the  river  before  the  rebs  took  posses- 
sion of  the  town) . Hoisting  sail,  they  returned  to  the 
‘‘Louisiana”  after  making  a tack  or  two.  Two  guns 
were  then  rolled  on  board ; next,  rifles,  cutlasses  and 
ammunition  were  put  over  the  side,  and  the  volunteer 
crew  were  then  ordered  aboard.  The  “Dolphin,^ one 
of  the  ship’s  boats,  was  made  fast  to  the  stern  of  the 
schooner,  and  the  fastenings  were  cast  loose  from  the 
“Louisiana”  as  soon  as  the  darkness  warranted  our 
not  being  seen  by  the  rebels  at  Rodman’s  point.  Amid 
the  good-byes  of  our  shipmates  we  sailed  away. 

The  wind  was  light,  but  what  there  was  of  it,  was 
in  our  favor.  When  nearly  abreast  of  the  first  battery 
on  Roadman’s  point,  a dead  calm  set  in.  The  crew  that 
was  picked  out  for  the  “Dolphin” previously  to  our  start- 
ing, were  ordered  to  man  the  boat  to  tow  the  schooner, 
while  others  bn  board  the  schooner  did  some  responsible 
poling.  When  right  abreast  of  Rodman’s  point,  the 
rebs  opened  fire  upon  us,  building  a brush  fire  on  shore 
to  direct  their  aim.  We  kept  as  near  the  opposite  shore 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


245 


as  possible  without  running  aground,  and  slowly 
worked  our  way  along.  We  were  struck  by  the 
-enemies  shot  several  times,  but  there  were  no  casualties, 
and  we  were  not  hit  below  the  water  line.  Three  shots 
passed  through  our  sails,  and  one  made  the  splinters  fly 
from  the  caboose  amidships.  Two  boats,  loaded  with 
the  enemy  put  out  from  the  shore  to  intercept  us,  but 
were  driven  back  by  a few  well  directed  shots  from  our 
howitzer.  The  rebs  kept  up  a constant  fusillade  from 
their  guns,  and  replenished  their  fire  with  more  brush 
to  enable  them  to  get  a better  range.  A breeze  spring- 
ing up,  we  soon  left  the  battery  in  our  rear.  The  rebs 
still  continued  to  fire  upon  us  with  but  indifferent 
success,  and  we  soon  drew  ahead  out  of  range.  We 
kept  on  our  course  for  half  an  hour  and  soon  neared 
the  lower  battery  at  HilPs  point,  running  head  on, 
as  the  current  in  the  channel  swerved  in  that  direction. 
We  received  a warm  reception  as  we  came  within  range. 
The  rebels,  warned  of  our  approach,  had  built  a fire  on 
a 'high  bluff  on  the  right  of  their  battery,  and  it  lit  up 
the  river  in  every  direction,  but  did  not  show  our 
schooner  so  plainly  to  them  as  at  the  Rodman’s  point 
battery.  The  balls  whistled  around  us  in  every  direc- 
tion, but  most  of  them  passed  over  us.  I thought  of 
a great  many  places  in  which  I would  rather  have  been 
in  than  on  that  river.  Keeping  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  point  where  the  battery  was  situated,  we 


I 


246 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


made  good  headway,  and  was  soon  out  of  range  of 
their  fire. 

We  reached  our  destination  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  on  Pamlico  sound  about  midnight.  We  took 
aboard  what  ammunition  we  could  conveniently  carry, 
and  some  bales  of  hav  to  act  as  breast-works  on  our 
return,  as  the  rebs  would  be  on  the  lookout  for  any 
return  vessel  and  be  ready  to  give  us  a hot  reception. 
We  started  to  return  about  eight  o’clock  the  next  eve- 
ning. The  wind  had  changed  and  blew  off  shore.  We 
made  very  fine  time,  for  the  schooner  was  ^good 
sailor,  and  about  midnight  were  olF  Hill’s  Point.  As 
yet,  seemingly,  the  rebs  had  not  discovered  us.  We 
had  nearly  passed  the  battery  when  a blue  light  shot 
up  on  our  port  side,  between  us  and  the  rebels,  appar- 
ently from  a boat  out  on  picket.  In  an  instant  a faint 
light  was  seen  on  the  bluff,  and  in  a moment  more  a 
lurid  glare  shot  up  from  a pile  of  brush  heaped  up  near 
the  water’s  edge,  the  light  from  which  streamed  out 
towards  us,  but  did  not  extend  quite  far  enough  to 
make  us  plainly  discernible  to  the  rebs,  whom  we  could 
see  around  the  fire  throwing  on  brush  to  increase  the 
blaze.  We  trained  our  two  guns  upon  them,  to  be  in 
readiness  to  fire  as  soon  as  discovered,  for  Mr.  McKeever 
said  that  they  should  not  have  all  the  fun  to  themselves 
this  time  in  the  event  of  our  discovery.  The  man  at 
the  tiller  was  ordered  to  keep  her  off  as  much  as  possible. 


i 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


247 


and  we  beo’an  to  think  that  we  should  not  hear  what 

O 

each  and  every  one  on  board  was  anxiously  expecting, 
but  dreading,  the  reports  of  the  rebel  guns.  As  far  as 
musketry  was  concerned,  at  this  point,  we  did  not  feel 
much  alarmed,  as  we  were  out  of  range.  Just  as  all 
hands  were  congratulating  themselves  upon  passing 
the  battery  so  easily,  there  came  a flash,  then  another, 
and  another,  and  the  sullen  boom  from  three  cannon 
came  to  us  distinctlv  across  the  water,  and  almost  the 
same  instant  the  missiles'  they  were  loaded  with  struck 
in  close  proximity  to  us.  Bang  ! bang  ! bang  ! One 
shot  passed  through  our  mainsail,  the  others  evidently 
went  astern.  They  commenced  firing  now  in  earnest, 
while  the  helmsman  kept  her  off  as  far  as  he  dared 
without  getting  aground  on  the  flats.  At  the  same  time 
the  wind  wafted  us  ahead  every  moment  farther  from 
the  battery,  and  at  last  out  of  range.  We  did  not 
return  their  fire,  as  McKeever  gave  no  order  to  that 
effect.  An  occasional  shot  now  and  then  was  fired, 
which  fell  far  astern. 

We  prepared  the  schooner  for  the  next  battery  at 
Rodman’s  point,  by  reinforcing  our  hay  bales,  placing 
two  together  for  that  purpose.  All  was  seemingly  quiet 
up  the  river ; the  camp  fires  of  our  soldiers  could  be 
distinguished  in  the  town,  and  the  lights  from  the  “Com- 
modore Hull”  and  the  “Louisiana”  could  be  seen  faintly 
17 


248 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


shining  like  dim  stars  in  the  distance.  All  hands 
were  on  the  lookout,  as  we  rapidly  approached  the  bat- 
tery, and  shortly  we  discovered  a feint  light  on  the 
bank,  and  as  we  approached,  it  grew  into  a fierce  flame 
lighting  up  the  path  we  were  to  cross,  and  shooting  its 
rays  upon  the  other  shore,  or  town  side. 

“ We  are  going  to  catch  it  this  time,”  spoke  up  our 
master’s  mate,  addressing  Major  Strong  who  had 
accompanied  us  on  our  return  trip.  I can’t  tell 
what  answer  the  major  made  to  this  remark,  for  the 
battery  began  to  fire  rapidly  as  we  drew  near,  and  soon 
the  shot  was  humming  around  us  and  occasionallv  struck 
the  hay  bales,  knocking  some  of  them  over,  and  mak- 
ing things  pretty  lively  for  us.  We  stood  it  for  awhile, 
then  Mr.  McKeever  ordered  us  to  stand  readv  to  fire. 
Soon  came  the  order  : ‘‘  Ready ; fire  !” 

The  rebs  could  also  reach  us  with  their  musketry,  and 
ofave  us  a few  vollevs  which  we  returned  with  our 
Sharpe’s  rifles.  They  could  be  seen  by  us  distinctly  as 
they  danced  around  the  fire,  and  it  gave  us  a target  for 
our  bullets.  The  blaze  from  the  brush  heap  grew  fainter, 
but  they  still  kept  firing.  We  considered  ourselves 
comparatively  safe  by  this  time,  and  ceased  to  return 
their  fire.  We  ran  up  alongside  the  ^‘Louisiana”  about 
an  hour  after,  and  were  soon  on  board,  where  we  were 
congratulated  by  our  shipmates  upon  our  safe  arrival, 
and  the  absence  of  all  casualities. 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


249 


One  night,  our  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Lay,  prepared  an 
old  scow  with  empty  tar  barrels  in  the  center  of  it  to 
represent  a steamer’s  smoke-stack,  and  setting  fire  inside 
to  the  bottom  barrel,  set  it  adrift  in  the  current  that 
made  down  by  the  rebel  batteries.  The  rebs,  when  it 
appeared  off  Rodman’s  point,  opened  fire  upon  it,  think- 
ing without  doubt,  that  some  boat  was  endeavoring  to 
run  the  blockade.  They  expended  some  fifty  rounds 
of  ammunition  on  the  old  scow  before  they  discovered 
what  it  really  was.  The  air  rang  with  our  shouts  of 
exultation  at  the  success  of  Mr.  Lay’s  contrivance  to 
entice  them  to  throw  away  their  ammunition.  Some 
funny  incidents  happened  during  the  time  we  were 
besieged,  which  will  be  related  in  another  chapter  ; but 
one  story  told  by  a reliable  contraband  while  the  siege 
was  in  progress,  about  his  former  master,  an  old 
^‘Secesh,”  I will  relate  here. 

One  day  when  the  rebs  were  uncommonly  active 
and  were  hurling  their  shot  and  iron  thick  and  fast 
into  the  town,  this  man  was  down  on  his  knees  in 
the  attic  of  his  house,  engaged  in  praying:  “Rain 
them  down,  oh  Lord,  and  send  the  shot  and  shell 
thick  and  fast ; kill  and  destroy  all  the  Yanks.” 
Just  then  a shell  from  the  rebel  battery  struck 
his  house,  lodged  and  burst  in  the  chimney.  This 
caused  him  to  suddenly  change  his  way  of  praying. 
“Oh,  Lord,”  he  said,  “not  my  house,  not  my  house.” 


250 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


This  story  convinced  us  that  his  prayers  were  of  no 
avail  as  far  as  the  Yanks  were  concerned.  , 

A canoe  was  observed  one  day  to  put  off  from  the 
town  side,  and  the  occupant,  who  proved  to  be  a con- 
traband, rowed  leisurely  out  into  the  middle  of  the  river, 
threw  out  his  lines  and  pretended  to  be  busily  engaged 
in  fishing.  There  was  no  particular  attention  paid  to 
him,  and  after  a while  he  was  forgotten.  But  about 
an  hour  afterwards  our  attention  was  called  to  him 
again  by  our  lookout  forward,  who  exclaimed,  ‘‘That 
contraband,  is  fishing,  away  over  on  the  opposite  shore, 
near  the  enemy.”  And  sure  enough,  there  he  was 
close  inshore,  pretending  to  be  fishing  as  before.  Lieu- 
tenant Westervelt  passed  the  word  aft  for  one  of  our 
Sharpe’s  rifles,  and  resting  it  across  one  of  the  gun  car- 
riages he  took  deliberate  aim  at  the  occupant  of  the 
canoe,  and  pulled  the  trigger.  The  ball  was 'Seen  to 
strike  the  water  just  beyond  the  boat,  and  that  contra- 
band pulled  up  his  lines  in  a hurry  and  made  for  the 
town.  A boat  was  ordered  and  manned,  rowed  inshore 
and  intercepted  him.  Upon  being  taken  on  board  the 
the  gun-boat  and  questioned, ^ he  denied  all  intent  of  aid- 
ing the  enemy  in  any  way  by  word  or  deed.  His  per- 
son was  searched  for  something  that  would  commit  him 
of  holding  communication  with  the  rebs,  but  nothing 
was  found  on  him  to  verify  our  suspicions.  He  said 
that  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  going  over  there  to  fish 


251 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

before  the  siege,  and  thought  there  was  no  harm  in  con- 
- tinning  to  do  so.  He  was  a thoroughly  frightened  con- 
traband, and  he  promised  never  to  go  again.  A sharp 
lookout  was  kept  on  him  after  that,  but  he  never  went 
over  again  during  the  siege,  to  our  knowledge. 

A journey  to  Richmond  seemed  in  the  near  future  for 
us,  and  preparations  were  made  by  Commander  Ren- 

I 

shaw  to  blow  up  the  old  ‘‘Louisiana”  if  worst  came  to 
worst. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  April,  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island 
ran  the  blockade  and  came  to  our  assistance  on  the 
steamer  “Escort,”  a large  white  boat  with  accommoda- 
tion for  a great  number  of  inen.  Up  by  the  rebel  bat- 
teries she  came,  while  shot  and  shell  flew  thick  and 
fast  about  her,  and  volleys  of  musketry  were  poured  in 
upon  her  from  the  shore.  Off*  Rodman’s  Point  the 
rebels  had  driven  piles  (before  the  capture  of  Little 
Washington)  to  impede  the  progress  of  the  Union 
forces  up  the  river.  All  of  these  had  not  been  re- 
moved, but  the  “Escort”  bobbed  over  them  in  safety, 
was  soon  out  of  range  of  the  enemy’s  guns,  and  pass- 
ing the  “Commodore  Hull”  landed  at  the  lower  wharf. 
The  soldiers  and  sailors  were  fllled  with  joy  and  excite- 
ment at  their  release,  for  the  siege  of  Little  Washing- 
ton was  now  virtually  ended.  As  the  troops  were 
landed  Col.  Sisson  gave  the  orders  in  a very  loud  tone 
of  voice,  “Forward,  first  brigade  ! Forward,  second 


252 


RECOLX.ECTIONS  OF  A SALLOR  BOY. 


brigade  ! ” giving  the  rebels  the  impression  that  we 
were  re-enforced  heavily. 

The  rebels  becoming  convinced  of  the  hopelessness 
of  starving  us  out,  and  bein^  disinclined  to  make  an 
assault  on  account  of  the  determined  resistance  of  the 
little  garrison,  and  the  reinforcements  so  unexpectedly 
received  by  us,  reluctantly  abandoned  the jiege  on  the 
sixteenth,  and  retired  in  the  direction  of  Kingston, 
towards  which  place  they  were  hurried  by  our  parting 
shots. 

Pursuit  was  commenced  immediately  by  the  soldiers, 
and  nearly  a hundred  prisoners,  including  four  commis- 
sioned oflBcers,  were  captured. 

The  negroes,  although  lacking  in  drill  and  discipline, 
yet  rendered  very  effective  aid,  especially  in  the  en- 
trenchments. The  enemy  were  very  much  chagrined, 
and  withal  humiliated  at  their  want  of  success,  having 
counted  not  only  on  the  easy  capture  of  the  garrison, 
including  the  commanding  general  of  the  department, 
and  the  material  of  war  in  the  town,  but  they  also  calcu- 
lated upon  re-possessing  themselves  of  a very  large 
number  of  fugitive  slaves,  who  had  made  Washington 
their  home,  and  who,  by  boldly  coming  to  the  front  to 
assist  the  beleaguered  garrison,  had  made  themselves 
very  obnoxious  to  the  rebels,  as  had  also  the  loyal 
North  Carolina  men,  and  if  the  town  had  been  cap- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


253 


tufed  by  the  rebels,  it'woiild  have  fared  hard  with  the 
poor  contrabands  and  soldiers  spoken  of. 

" The  enemy’s  force  was  commanded  by  Major  Gene-  , 
ral  D.  A.  Hill,  and  consisted  of  Daniel’s  brigade  of 
infantry,  five  regiments  ; Garnett’s  brigade  of  infantry, 
six  regiments  ; Pettigrew’s  brigade  of  infantry,  six  reg- 
iments ; Robertson’s  brigade  of  cavalry,  three  regi- 
ments, with  forty  pieces  of  artillery  and  some  indepen- 
dent battalions  not  brigaded.  With  these  heavy  odds 
against  us,  we  kept  them  at  bay  for  sixteen  days. 

The  enemy  seized  on  all  points  of  any  value,  and  for 
a time,  effectually  cut  off  all  supplies  and  reinforce- 
ments. The  bluffs  below  the  town  were  seized  and  for- 
tified, commanding  the  river  not  a mile  wide.  The 
garrison  were  forced  to  lie  in  the  trenches  night  and 
day  strengthening  the  line  of  earth-works  encircling  the 
town,  (one  mile  and  three-fourths  in  length,)  and 
throwing  up  traverses  to  protect  themselves  from  an  en- 
filading fire. 

The  ‘ ‘Hull  ” during  the  en^awment  with  the  Johnnies 
at  Rodman’s  Point  was  pierced  through  and  through. 
She  was  struck  one  hundred  and  five  times,  counting 
the  holes  and  mark^  made  by  the  rebels’  shot  on  her 
hull.  The  rebels  burst  three  of  their  Whitworth  guns 
at  Rodman’s  Point  during  the  siege,  and  they  also 
seemed  to  run  short  of  ammunition,  for  they  hurled 
^old  iron,  sledge  hammers,  etc.,  into  the  town.  It  was 


254 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


many  days  after  the  siege  before  we  could  get  the 
“Louisiana”  into  ship-shape  order,  and  then  only  by 
dint  of  much  scraping  and  holy-stoning,  but  at  last  she 
looked  trim  and  neat  once  more,  and  the  old  life  revived 
again  on  ship  and  shore. 

Visiting  Rodman’s  Point  after  the  rebels  had  retreated, 
the  soldiers  found  a dead  contraband  in  the  water,  along- 
side an  old  scow,  with  a rope  about  his  neck  and  a note 

from  one  of  the  rebels  to  this  effect : 

Yankees  : MVe  leave  you,  not  because  we  cannot  take  Washing- 
ton, but  tlie  fact  is  it  is  not  worth  taking;  and  besides,  the  climate 
is  not  agreeable.  A man  must  be  amphibious  to  inhabit  it.  We 
leave  vou  a few  burst  guns,  some  stray  solid  shots,  and  a man 
and  brother  rescued  from  the  waves,  to  which  some  fray  among  his 
equals  consigned  him.  But  this  tribute  we  pay  you : you  have 
acted  with  much  gallantry  during  this  brief  siege.  We  salute  the 
pilot  of  the  “Escort.” 

Co.  K.,  Thtrtt- SECOND  N.  C.  Tol. 

The  pilot  of  the  “Escort”  was  killed  on  the  return 
passage  down  the  river.  He  raised  himself  up  to  look 
over  the  hay  bales  with  which  the  pilot  house  was  sur- 
rounded, to  see  how  the  steamer  headed,  and  was 
struck  by  a minnie  bullet  in  the  forehead  and  instantly 
killed. 


I 


CRAPTCR  XIV. 


♦— 

POISONED  WATER. 

The  water  we  used  for  drinking  purposes  we  got 
on  shore.  Twice  a day,  the  dingy  boat  was  piped 
away  to  fetch  it.  The  water  was  procured  from  a well 
near  the  town  house,  just  off  the  main  street.  It  was 
considered  very  good  water  by  the  inhabitants,  but  the 
boys  found  a great  deal  of  fault  with  it  on  account  of 
its  being  very  brackish.  However,  we  had  it  to  drink 
in  place  of  better,  and  we  did  very  well  with  it  till  one 
day  one  of  our  number  noticed  a peculiar  taste  to  it  dif- 
ferent from  any  we  had  noticed  before.  An  alarm  at 
once  spread  through  the  gunboat  that  the  water  had 
been  poisoned.  We  had  had  similar  scares  before,  and 
therefore  there  was  not  much  to  cause  attention  to  be 
paid  by  the  officers  to  the  manifest  alarm  of  the  crew. 
No  unusual  effects  seemed  to  follow  its  use,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  nothing  more  about  it  than  the  peculiar 
taste  spoken  of.  Several  days  passed  by,  and  the 
water  question  seemed  to  have  been  forgotten  by  both 
officers  and  crew.  One  very  warm  day,  the  crew,  after 
drinking  freely  of  the  water,  became  alarmed  at  the  ap- 


256 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


pearance  of  little  white  spots  upon  their  tongues  and 
the  inside  of  their  mouths.  Word  was  sent  aft  and  the 
lieutenant  was  not  a little  alarmed  in  turn.  After  he 
had  examined  some  of  their  mouths,  Dr.  Bradly  was 
sent  for.  He  was  on  shore  attending  to  several  cases 
of  chills  and  fevers  that  had  made  their  appearance 
among  our  crew  a few  days  previous  to  ^he  poison 
scare. 

He  soon  came  on  board,  and  the  crew  passed  a thor- 
ough examination  at  his  hands.  He  could  not  readily 
account  for  the  complaint,  but  supposed  it  to  be  caused 
by  some  mineral  poison  in  the  well.  He  gave  us  a 
medicine  that  partially  allayed  the  fever  in  our  mouths, 
and  we  were  dismissed  for  the  present.  The  water  we 
already  had  on  board  was  thrown  overboard,  and  the 
dingy  was  sent  out  for  a new  supply  from  another  well 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  town.  Without  doubt  the 
water  had  been  poisoned,  but  whether  intentionally  or 
not,  we  never  were  able  to  determine.  I was  very  for- 
tunate, and  it  was  well  for  the  crew  that  I was  so. 
About  a month  before  all  this  happened,  I had  sent  to 
me  from  home,  a box  in  which  were  numerous  articles 
to  delight  the  eye  of  a sailor  boy.  Among  other  things 
were  a dozen  bottles  of  Perry  Davis’s  pain  killer.  The 
thought  came  to  my  mind  at  once  to  what  use  to  put  the 
pain  killer.  I filled  a cup  with  water,  put  some  of 
the  contents  of  a bottle  into  it,  tried  it,  and  found  it 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


257 


good.  But  didn’t  it  take  hold?  “Say,  boys,  here’s 
your  medicine,”  and  I had  no  sooner  uttered  the  words 
than  the  crew  began  to  flock  around  me,  and  I admin- 
istered to  each  man  as  he  came  up,  a spoonful.  They 
all  said  it  was  good  for  the  stomach,  and  as  some  of  them 
expressed  it,  ‘‘Rats  on  the  tongue  and  mouth  !”  After 
using  the  pain  killer  for  a few  days,  the  white  spots  • 
disappeared,  and  I regarded  our  cure  as  the  effect  from 
the  use  of  the  killer  of  pain.  Even  the  officers  were 
glad  to  receive  a present  of  half-a-dozen  bottles,  although 
I used  to  imagine  that  they  kept  a supply,  if  not  of 
Perry  Davis’  pain  killer,  something  fully  as  strong, 
and  not  always  to  be  used  in  case  of  emergency,  either. 
Perhaps  that  will  account  for  their  not  being  so  easily 
poisoned  as  the  crew,  who  were  forced  to  rely  upon  the 
water  for  drinking  purposes.  What  a stranger  would 
have  thought  upon  coming  on  board  at  that  time  would 
be  hard  to  tell,  for  the  men  were  lying  about  the  deck,  a 
few  who  were  worse  off  carrying  their  tin  cups  about 
with  them  wherever  they  went  on  the  decks  of  the  ves- 
sel, and  every  little  while  taking  a sip  of  the  pain  killer 
and  water.  After  the  men  recovered,  I put  away  the 
medicine  and  stopped  the  supply,  for  it  was  too  precious 
to  waste,  and  would  take  perhaps  a month,  or  may  be 
two,  to  procure  a fresh  supply.  But  after  all,  I was 
truly  glad  to  see  the  last  of  it,  except  one  bottle  which 
I kept  for  myself  in  case  of  emergency,  and  which  I 


258 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


securely  hid  from  my  mess-mates.  I will  relate  why  I 
was  glad  when  it  was  all  gone.  Not  long  after  the 
poisoning  scare,  one  of  the  crew  came  to  my  ham- 
mock one  night  about  midnight,  and  awoke  me  from 
a sound  sleep. 

“Hello,  what’s  wanted?”  I asked. 

“Oh,  oh  ! won’t  you  get  up  and  give  m^a  little  of 
your  pain  killer,  or  I’ll  be  a dead  man  before  morning, 
there’s  such  a pain  in  my  stomach.  Oh,  oh  ! hurry  up, 
matey,  or  I’m  a goner.” 

As  quickly  as  I could,  I turned  out  of  my  hammock 
to  give  the  sufferer  some  of  the  coveted  medicine.  I 
measured  out  a teaspoonful  into  a little  water,  and  ad- 
minstered  it  to  him. 

“Ah,  that  goes  to  the  right  place,”  he  said  a few 
moments  after  swallowing  it.  I told  him  to  go  back 
• to  his  hammock  and  cover  himself  up  warmly,  and  per- 
haps he  would  be  entirely  well  in  the  morning.  I did 
not  hear  from  him  again  that  night,  but  when  we  were 
piped  up  the  next  morning,  he  came  around  where  I 
was  at  work  taking  down  boarding  netting. 

“I  say,  chum,  can’t  you  let  me  have  a little  drop 
more  of  that  pain  reliever?  I don’t  feel  just  right  here 
yet,”  pointing  to  the  region  of  his  diaphragm. 

“Yes,  I will  be  down  in  a moment  and  will  fix  you 
all  right,”  I replied. 

As  soon  as  the  boardino;  netting  was  all  taken  down 

O O 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


259 


and  stowed  away,  I went  below  and  prepared  him  an- 
other dose.  I took  the  bottle  from  my  ‘^ditty  box,’’ 
where  I kept  it  under  lock  and  key.  Every  sailor  has 
a small  box,  generally-  made  by  the  carpenter’s  mate, 
out  of  any  kind  of  boards  that  can  be  found  suita- 
ble for  the  purpose ; and  by  the  way,  Cyprus  makes 
the  best  boxes.  These  boxes  we  call  our  ^ ‘ditty  boxes” 
because  thimbles,  thread,  and  all  sorts  of  small  articles 
used  in  making  and  mending  our  clothes  were  stored 
away  in  them.  Well,  I gave  him  another  dose  with- 
out mixing  much  water  in  it. 

“Ah,  that’s  good  stuff,”  he  said,  while  I could  see 
the  tears  in  his  eyes. 

“You  don’t  want  to  sell  a bottle,  do  you?  A dol- 
lar haint  no  object  if  you  want  to  part  with  one.” 

“No,  I do  not  propose  to  sell  any  ; if  you  are  sick 
come  to  me,  and  if  I can  relieve  you  I shall  be  glad  to 

. I 

do  so.” 

He  cast  a longing  look  towards  my  bottle  as  it  dis- 
appeared in  my  “ditty  box,”  and  strolled  off  hitching 
up  his  trowsers.  I was  called  up  at  all  times  of  the 
night ; every  other  man  seemed  to  have  a pain  of  some 
sort  or  other.  I was  never  sure  after  getting  into  my 
hammock,  of  resting  there  all  night,  for  if  I was  not 
actually  awakened,  I was  expecting  to  be  at  any  time. 
I could  almost  fancy  hearing  some  one  at  my  side 
groaning  in  fancied  or  real  pain,  and  this  and  other 


260 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


causes  combined  to  make  me  happy  when  the  last  bot- 
tle was  emptied. 

Life  aboard  ship  was  becoming  more  and  more 
monotonous,  and  many  were  the  anxious  eyes  that 
were  cast  seaward  as  the  days  came  and  went,  in  the 
hope  of  seeing  -a  move  in  that  direction.  The  welcome 
sound  at  last  came,  borne  to  our  ever-listening  ears, 
one  pleasant  morning  after  the  usual  holy-stoning  of  the 
decks  had  been  performed,  from  the  boatswain’s  mate’s 
shrill  whistle  and  the  order,  ‘‘All  hands  up;  anchor 
ahoy  !” 

We  were  completely  astonished.  Although  antici- 
pating such  a movement  from  day  to  day,  yet,  some- 
how we  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  our  gunboat 
had  become  a fixture,  and  would  not  leave  her  moor- 
ings at  the  bridge  until  the  war  was  over,  and  every 
Northern  man  had  been  mustered  out  of  service.  But 
did  we  not  hear  the  order  “Up  anchor?”  We  certainly 
did,  and  all  hands  made  a quick  movement  to  execute 
it  too.  “Where  are  we  going?”  was  the  one  great 
question  we  asked  of  one  another.  There  had  been 
some  talk  of  our  going  to  Baltimore  to  get  a heavier 
battery ; but  then  we  were  carrying  a heavy  battery 
already,  full  as  much  as  the  old  “Louisiana”  was  capable 
of  floating  with  and  more  too,  when  outside,  for  she 
would  roll  the  muzzles  of  her  guns  under  the  water  at 
every  lurch  she  made.  We  very  soon  got  the  cue. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


261 


though,  and  that  before  we  left  the  harbor.  We  were 
bound  for  New  Berne  for  supplies,  and  it  was  about  time 
too,  for  only  a few  days  previous  to  our  order  to  sail, 
our  supply  of  hard-tack  was  brought  up  from  below, 
and  put  in  a heap  on  the  deck,  where  we  picked  out  all 
the  mouldy  bread  and  threw  it  overboard  to  the  fishes, 
returning  the  rest  to  the  lockers. 

\\'e  had  a pleasant  sail  to  New  Berne,  though  nothing 
worthy  of  note  happened  on  our  way  thither.  In  due 
season  we  arrived  there.  As  we  steamed  up  the  river,  we 
could  not  perceive  that  the  place  had  changed  any  since 
our  last  visit.  We  passed  the  gunboats  “Hunchback,” 
“Eagle,”  “Underwriter,”  and  last  but  not  least,  the 
commodore’s  fiagship,  the  “Hetzell,”  which  lay  at 
anchor  in  pretty  much  the  same  position  as  when  the 
new  draft  boarded  her  some  months  previous.  She 
appeared  insignificent,  compared  with  the  “Louisiana,” 
and  I could  not  help  wondering  why  Commodore  Rowan 
did  not  make  her  (the  “Louisiana,”)  his  fiagship 
instead  of  the  “Hetzel.”  But  there  is  no  accounting 
for  tastes,  and  if  the  commodore  acted  according  to 
his,  it  was  no  business  of  mine.  We  steamed  in, 
dropped  our  anchor  just  above  the  “Hetzel,”  and  after 
putting  the  gun-boat  in  trim  for  a visit  from  the  com- 
modore, several  of  us  obtained  permission  to  visit  the 
town.  I met  Tom  at  the  forehatch  as  I was  descending 
to  the  berth  deck,  and  he  informed  me  that  he  could 


262 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


not  accompany  me,  as  he  did  not  ask  permission  in 
time,  and  the  complement  of  liberty  men  was  already 
made  up.  Just  as  I had  finished  putting  on  my  best 
shore  rig — white  shirt,  blue  collar,  black  silk  tie,  white 
duck  pants  and  round  blue  cap  with  a large  star  in  the 
centre, — the  boatswain  piped  all  hands  to  muster,  and 
when  we  were  all  gathered  together.  Commander  Een- 
shaw  told  us  that  Commodore  Rowan  would  soon  come 
on  board  and  inspect  the  vessel  and  crew,  and  he  wished 
to  have  the  men  appear  in  their  best  attire.  The  line 
was  dismissed  by  the  executive  officer,  Mr.  Westervelt, 
and  with  a ‘‘Bear  a hand  there,  and  jump  into  your 
clothes  lively,”  from  the  boatswain,  the  crew  rushed 
below  to  dress.  We  were  all  on  deck  again  in  less 
than  half  an  hour,  dressed  in  our  best  bib  and  tucker ; 
and  those  who  were  contemplating  a visit  to  the  shore, 
had  a chance  to  grumble, — sailors  grumble  sometimes 
as  well  as  soldiers — at  the  non-appearance  of  the  com- 
modore. Eventually,  however,  his  boat  was  seen  to 
leave  the  “Hetzell”  by  some  of  the  boys  on  the  look- 
out on  the  forecastle  deck,  the  word  was  passed  to  the 
executive  officer,  and  in  a moment  more  the  boatswain . 
piped  us  to  muster  again.  We  made  a fine  appearance 
as  we  stood  in  line  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  “Lou- 
isiana.” Everyman  was  neatly  dressed,  and  the  officers 
looked  spruce  in  their  trimmed  and  well-fitting  uni- 
forms. Every  piece  of  brass  work  on  the  deck  and  on 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  263 

the  fife-rail  and  hatches  had  been  polished  until  one 
could  use  the  metal  as  a mirror.  Even  the  brass  hoops 
around  the  spittoons  had  been  highly  polished.  Ropes 

were  neatly  coiled  away,  and  the  decks  would  fairly 

/ 

have  made  a good  house- wife  envious.  We  had  not 
long  to  wait  before  the  commodore’s  boat  came  along- 
side. Commander  Renshaw  and  the  officers  under 
him  assisted  the  commodore  and  his  suite  up  the  gang- 
way ladder  to  the  deck  of  the  “Louisiana,”  while  the 
boatswain  blew  shrill  but  not  discordant  notes  upon  his 
whistle,  and  the  men  doffed  their  hats  and  remained 
uncovered  until  inspected.  Altogther  it  was  an  impres- 
sive scene,  to  see  the  two  long  lines  of  sailors  drawn  up 
on  the  port  and  starboard  side  of  the  decks,  dressed  in 
their  very  picturesque  costumes,  and  the  officers  form- 
ing a little  group  by  themselves,  making  a striking 
contrast  with  their  blue  uniforms  and  gold  lace  to  the 
white  duck  pants  of  the  crew.  We  were  told  afterwards 
that  the  commodore  had  complimented  commander 
Renshaw  very  highly  on  the  discipline  and  fine 
make-up  of  his  officers  and  crew,  and  also  spoke  in 
terms  of  highest  adulation  in  regard  to  the  cleanliness 
of  the  gun-boat.  The  line  was  dismissed  as  the  com- 
modore disappeared  in  the  commander’s  cabin.  Soon 
after  the  boat  was  called  away  for  the  liberty  men.  We 


18 


/ 


264  EECOLLECTIONS  OP  A SAILOR  BOY. 

spent  a very  pleasant  day,  visiting  the  forts  and  the 
soldiers. 

The  next  day  we  weighed  anchor,  and  steamed  out 
of  the  harbor  bound  for  Hatteras.  Arriving  there,  we 
anchored  inside  the  inlet  and  about  a quarter  of  a mile 
from  the  main  land.  There  was  a fresh  breeze  blowing 
outside,  and  as  it  came  to  us  across  the  sea,  I imagined 
it  tainted  with  our  northern  home.  The  first  thing  now 
was  to  ask  for  permission  to  go  in  bathing  alongside, 
which  was  granted,  and  we  were,  soon  jumping  and 
diving  from  all  parts  of  the  boat.  The  water  was  about 
twelve  feet  deep,  and  had  a green  appearance  as  seen 
from  the  deck  of  the  boat.  The  bottom  could  be  dis- 
cerned very  plainly,  and  the  objects  lying  upon  it  were 
also  very  plainly  visible.  When  any  one  of  us  dived 
from  the  deck  into  the  water,  we  could  see  him  go  to 
the  bottom,  and  observe  every  motion  of  his  limbs  as 
he  tried  to  force  himself  to  the  surface  again.  Sharks 
had  been  seen  inside  the  inlet,  but  we  were  not  mo- 
lested, and  we  disported  ourselves  to  our  heart’s  con- 
tent. 

But  there  is  an  end  to  all  things,  and  our  bathing  was 
no  exception  to  the  rule,  for  we  were  forced  to  comply 
with  the  order  of  the  boatswain’s  mate  to  return  on 
board  again. 

We  visited  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Hatteras,  and  in  the 
few  days  we  spent  at  the  inlet  we  enjoyed  ourselves 


I 


\ 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  265 

hugely  and  made  many  acquaintances.  One  night, 
during  our  stay  there,  I was  rudely  awakened  about 
midnight  by  some  one  roughly  shaking  me  by  the 
shoulder. 

‘‘Hello,”  I said,  sitting  up  in  my  hammock,  rub- 
bing my  eyes  and  looking  hard  in  the  dim  light  shed 
by  the  ship’s  lanterns ’to  make  out  who  it  was  that  had 
his  face  so  close  to  mine,  and  with  his  hand  still  upon 
my  arm,  gripped  it  to  such  a degree,  that  I fairly  winced 
with  the  pain  it  gave  me. 

“Hist!  it’s  me,  Joe  Reynold’s;  don’t  make  any 
noise,  but  turn  out,  jump  into  your  clothes  and  come 
forward  to  the  forecastle  deck.  Two  or  three  of  the 
boys  are  there  ; the  watch  is  mum,  and  we  are  going 
on  shore.  We’ll  wait  ten  minutes  for  you,  and  if  you 
don’t  come  in  that  time,  we  shall  go  without  you.” 

Before  I could  utter  a word  in  mv  astonishment  at 

•/ 

the  audacity  of  this  step,  he  had  stolen  towards  the 
forecastle  deck. 

“So,  that’s  the  racket,”  thought  I,  “and  they  ex-, 
pect  me  to  go  with  them.”  I at  once  made  up  my 
mind  that  I would  see  what  they  were  about,  so  I turned 
out  of  my  hammock  and  quickly  dressing,  made  my 
way  noiselessly  forward  up  the  ladder  through  the  open 
hatchway,  and  reached  the  forecastle  deck  unseen. 
There  I found  Joe  Reynolds,  Tom,  and  James  McVey, 
the  latter  named  being  on  watch  from  ten  o’clock  until 


266 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


twelve  o’clock.  Four  bells  had  struck  while  I was 
dressing.  McVey  had  just  relieved  the  forward  watch. 
I had  no  sooner  reached  the  place  than  Joe  told  me  in 
whispered  tones  what  their  programme  was.  It  seemed 
that  it  had  been  made  up  before  the  first  watch  was  set, 

and  was  understood  bv  Howes  Crowell,  who  was  tore- 

% 

lieve  McVey  at  eight  bells,  that  is  at  midnight,  and  at 
two  o’clock,  Crowell  was  to  be  relieved  by  another  who 
was  in  the  secret,  consequently  we  had  till  four  o’clock, 
six  hours,  to  visit  the  shore  if  all  went  well.  They  had 
thought  of  me  when  laying  their  plans,  but  were  afraid 
of  broaching  them  to  me,  for  fear  that  I should  object. 
There  would  not  have  been  any  objection  on  my  part  if 
they  had  acquainted  we  with  their  secret.  I told  them 
that  perhaps  I could  havo  arranged  it  so  that  we  should 
not  have  to  steal  away  but  could  have  had  a boat  fur- 
nished us.  But  to  my  story.  The  amount  of  it  was, 
that  some  of  the  soldiers  had  extended  an  invitation  to 
them  to  attend  a dance  on  the  main  land  across  from 
the  island,  which  was  to  be  given  by  the  young  ladies 
residing  perhaps  a half  mile  inland.  The  soldiers  prof- 
fered an  invitation  to  Joe,  when  he  was  on  shore  at  the 
fort  the  day  previous,  and  requested  him  to  bring  others 
of  the  boys  along  with  him  for  company’s  sake.  The 
consequence  was  that  Joe  invited  Tom  and  Ben  Gibson, 
and  finally  through  Tom’s  suggestion,  just  as  they  were 
about  to  go  on  shore,  Joe  was  sent  to  awaken  me.  The 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


267 


whole  plan  rather  startled  me  when  I was  made  ac- 
quainted with  it.  It  was  to  swim  ashore.  There  was  not 
the  least  chance  of  getting  a boat  as  they  were  all  made 
fast  to  the  guy  extended  from  the  port  quarter,  and 
within  sight  of  the  quarter-master  who  was  pacing  the 
hurricane  deck.  I told  the  boys  that  I was  very  sorry 
that  they  had  not  acquainted  me  earlier,  but  come  what 
may,  the  dance  must  be  attended,  and  we  were  only 
wasting  time.  Joe  was  the  first  to  begin  to  strip,  and 
we  all  followed  suit.  In  a few  moments  we  were  all 
. ready  to  descend  the  bow  of  the  ship  into  the  water. 
Our  olothes  were  carefully  rolled  up  into  the  smallest 
possible  bundle,  tied,  and  strapped  on  our  heads. 
J oe  led  off  by  quickly  gliding  over  the  port  and  letting 
himself  down  by  a rope  put  there  for  the  purpose. 
Silently  one  after  the  other  we  followed,  and  were  soon 
all  in  the  water.  I was  the  last  to  leave  the  deck,  and  as 
I did  so,  McVey  struck  five  bells,  half-past  ten  o’clock. 
As  I lowered  myself  into  the  water,  I came  near  cry- 
ing out,  it  was  so  cold.  Keeping  my  head  well  up, 
I looked  about  for  Joe  and  the  other  members  of  the 
party.  I discovered  them  close  by  me,  and  treading 
the  water.  As  soon  as  I made  my  appearance  in  the 
water,  J09  struck  out  toward  the  shore  with  long,  steady 
strokes,  keeping  within  the  shadow  of  the  gun-boat 
as  long  as  it  lasted.  The  rest  silently  followed,  each 
making  no  more  noise  than  a muskrat  would  have  done. 


268 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


We  had  previously  been  cautioned  by  Joe  not  to  swim 
fast  until  away  from  the  gun -boat.  The  shore  could  be 
discerned  looming  up  in  the  distance,  and  after  getting 
well  away  from  the  ship  we  struck  out  boldly  for  it. 
We  reached  the  haven  without  any  mishap,  and  quickly 
proceeded  to  dress  ourselves,  meanwhile' looking  around 
for  the  friends  we  expected  to  meet  there,  ^oe  gave  a 
peculiar  whistle  as  he  finished  tying  his  black  silk  neck- 
kerchief  about  his  neck.  It  was  almost  instantaneously 
answered  by  some  one  not  far  off.  Having  finished  our 
toilets,  we  started  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and  in 
a few  moments  were  in  the  company  of  about  a dozen 
soldiers.  After  mutual  greetings  and  hand-shakings 
between  Joe  and  the  soldiers,  Joe  introduced  us  all  one 
by  one  to  them.  This  being  done,  a soldier  with  stripes 
upon  his  arm,  whom  I took  to  be  a sergeant,  said : 
“Come  boys,  it’s  getting  late  ; we  cannot  stand  here, 
we  must  improve  the  time  ; follow  me.” 

With  many  a joke  and  brim-full  of  fun  we  followed 
our  conductor.  We  had  walked  perhaps  ten  minutes, 
when  a house  loomed  up  only  a short  distance  ahead, 
and  the  rays  of  light  shining  through  the  windows 
stretched  out  to  us  as  if  bidding  us  welcome  to  the  good 
time  within.  The  merrv  forms  of  the  dancers  could  be 
seen  through  the  windows  as  we  approached,  fiitting 
back  and  forth,  and  accompanying  these  sights  the 
scraping  of  the  violin  could  be  plainly  heard.  Full  of 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  269 

/ 

excitement  we  increased  our  pace,  and  in  a few  moments 
more  were  being  welcomed  by  a bevy  of  girls,  some  of 
whom  I thought  would  compare  favorably  with  our 
northern  girls. 

Entering  the  house,  we  were  hailed  with  acclama- 
tions by  all  present,  and  in  an  agreeably  short  time 
I was  whirling  around  with  one  of  the  young  ladies, 
through  the  intricacies  of  a contra  dance.  Time 
flew,  and  the  merry  dauce  went  on.  Not  a single  set 
had  I missed.  None  of  us  had  taken  any  note  of  how 
the  time  sped,  until  looking  up  at  the  clock  on  the  man- 
tle shelf  as  I was  whirling  by,  I was  completely  taken 
back,  for  the  hour  hand  rested  on  the  figure  three.  Ex- 
cusing myself  to  my  partner  for  a moment,  I sought 
the  boys,  and  informed  them  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour. 
‘Tt  is  of  no  use,”  I said,  ‘‘we  must  make  tracks  for  the 
beach,  and  get  there  as  soon  as  possible.”  After  par- 
taking of  some  refreshments  at  the  earnest  request  of 
the  ladies,  we  prepared  to  take  our  departure,  despite 
the  earnest  solicitations  on  their  part  to  detain  us  longer  ; 
but  no  ; we  all  knew  that  a new  man  would  be  on  watch 
at  four  o’clock,  and  he  might  give  us  away,  and  that, 
we  also  knew,  meant  confinement  in  the  chain  locker 
with  the  poorest  kind  of  grub  for  several  days.  So, 
shaking  hands  with  the  young  ladies,  and  thanking 
them  for  the  pleasant  time  they  had  provided  for  us, 
we  stepped  out  into  the  night,  or  rather  into  the  morn- 


270 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


ing,  lit  up  only  by  the  feeble  light  fi*om  the  hallway 
of  the  house,  and  a few  solitary  stars,  and  commenced 
slowly  to  walk  towards  the  beach. 

‘‘Good-bve,  bo  vs.” 

‘‘Come  ashore  to-morrow,  if  possible.’’ 

“Fare  thee  well.” 

“TTe  shall  miss  thee,”  and  similar  expressions  fol- 
lowed us  as  parting  salutations  from  the  girls,  in 
soprano  and  contralto  voices,  mingled  with  the  gruff 
bass  voices  of  the  only  two  male  citizens  who  had  been 
present  dimng  the  evening,  and  whom  we  were  intro- 
duced to  on  our  arrival,  as  brothers  of  the  two  sfirls 
residinsr  there,  but  whom  we  believed  afterwards  to  be 
rebel  soldiers,  home  on  a furloucrh.  Shoutins:  back 
answers  to  their  lively  sallies,  we  made  the  best  of  our 
way  to  the  river  bank.  Some  of  the  soldiers  went  ^\"ith 
us,  as  they  wanted,  they  said,  to  see  us  take  to  the 
water,  although  they  offered  to  row  us  to  the  ship  in 
the  boat  in  which  thev  had  come  from  Hatteras  Island. 
But  as  that  would  surely  betray  us,  we  respectfully 
declined  the  offer,  and  stated  the  reason  of  the  refusal. 
They  were  now  anxious  to  see  us  swim,  and  we  did 
not  keep  them  long  in  suspense.  It  only  occupied  a 
few  moments  to  get  ourselves  ready  for  our  aquatic 
performance,  and  bidding  them  good-bye,  and  inviting 
them  to  come  on  board  some  time  durinor  the  dav,  we 
waded  out  a little  way,  then  spread  ourselves  for  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


271 


swim  to  the  ‘‘Louisiana.’’  We  had  not  started  a bit  too 
soon,  for  a fog  was  coming  up  from  the  sea,  and  in  less 
than  half  an  hour,  would  envelope  the  old  “Louisiana,” 
and  consequently  destroy  our  bearings.  But  twenty 
minutes  or  less  was  enough  for  us,  and  we  swam 
steadily  on,  Joe  being  some  little  distance  in  advance. 
Gibson  came  next,  followed  by  Tom,  and  I,  being  the 
slowest  swimmer,  brought  up  the  rear.  We  were 
making  good  progress,  had  accomplished  more  than  half 
the  distance,  and  could  plainly  see  the  “Louisiana”  as 
reflected  against  the  sky.  I gave  up  all  fears  which  I 
might  have  had  of  being  enveloped  in  the  fog  bank, 
that  was  slowly  but  surely  approaching ; the  advance 
guard,  a few  fleecy  scuds,  being  already  at  the  entrance 
of  Hatteras  inlet,  shutting  out  the  fort  from  view.  I 
swam  slowly  along,  for  I was  pretty  well  tired  out 
with  dancing  and  swimming,  and  I was  very  sleepy 
withal.  Suddenly  I heard  a slight  splash  in  the 
water  behind  me.  A thrill  of  horror  ran  through  my 
frame,  and  I was  wide  awake  in  an  instant.  My  hair 
would  have  started  on  end,  . except  that  the  strap 
over  my  head  prevented  its  rising.  I turned  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound  and  peered  through  the  darkness 
in  my  endeavors  to  make  out  the  nature  of  the  object 
behind  me.  I could  just  discern  a black  form  of  some 
sort  on  the  top  of  the  water,  coming  towards  me.  I 
heard  the  splashing  of  the  water  again,  and  in  addition 


/ 


272  RECOLLECTIONS  OP  A SAILOR  BOY. 

/ 

to  this,  I thought  I could  hear  a noise  like  the  sputter- 
ing of  some  one  breathing  with  the  mouth  partly  sub- 
merged under  water.  My  first  dread  was  of  a shark,  but 
my  reasoning  powers  were  not  quite  scared  pnt  of  me, 
so  I dropped  that  idea  as  soon  as  entertained,  and  with 
almost  superhuman  strength,  struck  out  for  the  gun- 
boat, now  close  by.  I tried  to  think  or  imagine  what 
manner  of  fish  or  beast  was  in  my  wake.  Joe,  Tom 
and  Gibson  had  reached  the  “Louisiana”  and  dis- 
appeared over  the  side.  I was  so  near  the  boat  that  I 
could  see  the  dimmer  and  fiash  of  the  water  on  their 

o 

naked  backs  as  they  clambered  noiselessly  over  the  talf- 
rail.  But  closer  and  closer  came  that  dark  object.  I 
would  make  no  alarm,  though,  till  the  last  moment, 
when  I could  see  no  chance  to  save  myself  otherwise. 
With  strength  lent  me  in  my  desperation,  I struck  out 
frantically,  as  I heard  the  breathing  of  the  seeming 
monster  close  upon  me,  and  seemed  to  feel  its  hot 
breath  on  my  naked  shoulders.  One  more  stroke,  then 
another,  and  I had  grasped  the  rope  to  the  full  stretch 
of  my  right  arm.  I pulled  myself  partly  out  of  the 
water,  while  my  left  hand  glided  up  the  rope  to  sustain 
the  right  for  another  pull.  Here,  for  the  second  or 
third  time,  I cast  an  anxious  glance  behind  me  to  see 
if  I could  make  out  what  it  was  that  was  within  six 
feet  of  where  I was  hanging  by  the  rope.  I drew  a long 
breath  at  what  I saw,  for  my  fears  were  now  dispelled. 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


273 


and  instead  of  fear,  a sense  of  the  ridiculous  came  over 
me,  upon  seeing  that  the  object  of  my  terror  was  a 
large  Newfoundland  dog.  I took  another  look  at  him 
as  I clambered  over  the  port  side,  and  saw  him 
paddling  back  and  forth  under  the  rope.  Just  then 

Jones  (for  he  was  on  the  watch)  came  to  my  side,  and 

( 

in  a few  whispered  words,  I made  him  understand  the 
situation.  I told  him  to  draw  up  the  rope,  then  tole 
the  dog  in  some  way,  around  to  the  port  gangway, 
so  that  the  officer  of  the  deck  would  not  have  occasion 

I 

to  go  forward,  and  thus  perceive  the  wet  decks.  He 
was  then  to  notify*him  that  there  was  some  dark  object 
swimming  around  the  gun-boat.  After  this  I disappeared 
below.  I first  went  around  to  see  the  boys,  and 
acquainted  them  of  the  event,  and  then  spread  oat 
my  clothes  to  dry,  for  in  my  twistings  and  turnings 

t 

in  the  water,  to  get  rid  of  my  pursuer,  I had  got  them 
very  wet.  Finally  I opened  my  hammock  and  turned 
in  to  sleep. 

On  the  following  morning,  I found  the  dog  on  board, 
and  it  was  a matter  of  surprise  to  the  officers  and  most 
of  the  men  how  he  came  to  be  there.  Jones  afterwards 
informed  me  that  immediately  after  my  disappearance 
below,  he  had  called  the  officer  of  the  deck  and  made 
him  acquainted  with  the  fact  that  a dog,  or  some  such 
object,  was  swimming  in  the  water  near  the  vessel. 
The  officer  then  called  the  entire  watch  to  the  ,port  side 


274 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


where  the  boats  were  made  fast  to  the  guy,  and  unfas- 
tening the  guy  rope,  he  with  one  of  the  men  entered  it 
and  picked  up  the  dog.  Some  soldiers  visiting  the  ship 
during  the  day  recognized  him  as  belonging  to  the  cook 
at  the  fort. 

The  days  we  spent  at  Hatteras  were  full  of  interest 
and  so  pregnant  with  events  as  to  make  that  time  long 
to  be  remembered.  The  day  for  our  return  to  Wash- 
ington came  at  last,  and  we  hove  up  our  anchor,  and 
steamed  up  Pamlico  Sound  bound  for  our  old  anchor- 
age. Our  trip  to  Hatteras  had  enlivened  us  to  that 
extent,  that  we  did  not  seem  like  the  same  crew,  but 
the  knowled ore  that  we  were  to  return  to  Little  Wash- 

O 

ington  again,  in  preference  to  some  other  port,  brought 
back  the  old  look  of  carelessness  that  we  had  assumed 
before  our  trip  down  the  sound. 

In  due  time  we  arrived  at  our  old  quarters,  and  the 
“Louisiana”  was  very  soon  moored  bow  and  stern  in 
her  old  position.  Among  the  crowd  that  gathered  on 
the  wharf  to  welcome  our  return,  w^as  the  well-known 
and  highly  respected  Aunt  Phebe. 

“Pse  glad  to  seeyer  ; yer  looks  good  outdar;  we’se 
’fraid  yer  nebber  cum  back  any  more,”  were  the  greet- 
ings with  which  we  were  met  from  this  old  dame.  But 
we  had  come  back  and  would  no  doubt  have  ample 
opportunity  to  sample  her  pot-stews  before  we  hoisted 
anchor  ao;ain. 

O 


CHAPTER  XV. 


r 


# 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  SIEGE. 


A BRA  YE  OFFICER. 

BURING  a cessation  of  hostilities  between  the  rebels 
and  our  soldiers  in  the  fort  one  day,  an  officer  in 
the  confederate  force  was  observed  to  ride  slowly  and 
deliberately  down  in  front,  to  the  left  of  the  rebel  for- 
tifications, leisurely  dismount,  throw  the  bridle  rein 
over  his  left  arm,  then  take  from  his  socket  at  the  waist, 
a pair  of  marine  glasses,  through  which,  with  the  utmost 
nonchalance,  he  surveyed  our  works  and  surroundings. 
As  soon  as  he  was  discovered,  the  fort  opened  fire  upon 
him  with  one  of  their  heavy  guns.  The  shells  struck 
in  close  proximity  to  his  person,  in  fact,  one  of  them 
dropped  so  near  that  when  it  exploded,  it  threw  the 
dirt  upon  him,  while  pieces  of  the  exploded  shell  must 
have  come  uncomfortably  close  to  him.  With  remark- 
able sang-froid  he  merely  brushed  his  clothes  where  some 
of  the  dirt  had  lodged,  and  placing  the  glasses  to  his 
eyes  again,  took  another  and  longer  view  of  our  fortifi- 
cations. At  last,  seemingly  satisfied  with  the  informa- 


276  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

tion  gained,  he  remounted  his  horse  and  cantered  out 
of  range  of  the  guns  from  the  fort.  I should  have  felt 
sorry  for  him  indeed,  if  he  had  been  injured  by  our 

shells,  athough  an  enemy  to  his  country.  I admire 

* 

such  coolness  of  nerve. 

A DARING  ACT. 

A young  sailor,  while  the  fight  was^in  progress 
between  the  ‘‘Commodore  Hull”  and  the  Rodman’s 
point  batteries,  seized  a shell  that  had  been  thrown  from 
the  enemies’  guns,  and  had  fallen  on  the  deck  of  the 
“Hull,”  and  threw  it  overboard.  The  fuse  was  nearly 
an  inch  long  and  sputtered  and  fizzed  like  a powder- 
cracker  when  about  to  explode.  This  story  was  told 
me  by  one  of  the  crew  of  the  “Hull”  when  we  supplied 
them  with  ammunition,  and  others  on  board  corrob- 
orated the  statement. 

A solid  shot  entered  the  port-hole  and  dismounted  a 
twenty-four  pound  gun,  knocking  the  gun-carriage  into 
splinters,  yet  strange  to  relate,  not  one  of  the  gun’s 
crew  was  injured  by  the  flying  splinters.  When  not 
engaged  in  actual  fighting,  the  crew  were  ordered  to 
distribute  themselves  about  the  deck,  so  as  to  make  as 
little  mark  for  the  enemy  as  possible.  When  the  crew 
of  the  supply  boats  of  the  “Louisiana”  boarded  the 
“Hull,”  which  was  done  a number  of  times,  the  crew 
of  the  “Hull”  would  congregate  around  us,  to  receive 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


277 


the  news  of  how  the  siege  progressed  at  the  fort.  At 

such  times,  the  boatswain  would  immediately  disperse 

them  and  order  us  to  re-enter  our  boat  and  return  to  the 

/ 

“Louisiana.” 

Perhaps  the  strangest  thing  in  all  th§  siege,  lay  in 
the  fact  that  only  two  men  were  wounded,  and  they  but 
slightly  with  flying  splinters,  although  the  “Hull,”' 
which  as"  I have  related  in  a previous  chapter,  was 
struck  one  hundred  and  five  times.  There  were  many 
narrow  escapes  both  on  ship  and  shore.  A shell  struck 
in  the  ship  yard,  and  buried  itself  in  the  ground  where 
it  burst,  and  threw  up  such  quantities  of  earth  that  a 
soldier  who  happened  to  be  very  near,  was  nearly 
buried ; as  it  was,  he  required  assistance  to  help  him 
out  of  the  debris. 

TOO  CLOSE  FOR  COMFORT. 

One  day  while  I was  employed  treading  down  the 
earth  on  the  floor  of  the  powder  magazine,  built  on  the 
wharf,  I heard  a shell  coming.  It  certainly  was  noth- 
ing new  to  hear  such  sounds,  butthis  one  became  louder 
and  louder,  and  seemed  to  be  coming  right  into  the 
only  aperture  there  was,  a hole  perhaps  three  feet  square 
from  which  the  window  had  been  removed,  and  about 
the  height  of  my  shoulders  from  the  ground,  directly 
in  the  center  of  the  magazine,  where  I was  at  work,  and 
about  six  feet  from  the  end  of  the  building.  My  only 


278 


RECOLLECTIOXS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


safety  I thought  was  to  cast  mvself  down  on  the  ground 
in  the  further  corner  of  the  small  room.  Acting  upon 
this  first  thought,  I did  so,  and  if  ever  I squeezed  my- 
self into  a small  compass,  it  was  then. 

TTh-o-o,  wfio-o-o,  who-o-o-o-o-o  ! came  the  shell ; 
the  last  who-o-o  that  I heard  before  the  explosion,  was 
a long  drawn  out  one,  and  ended  in  a terrible  slu'iek, 
so  it  seemed  to  my  tortured  senses,  when  chug,  it  struck 
the  corner  of  the  building,  making  the  bricks  fly  in  all 
directions,  and  half  a second  later,  bang  ! it  burst  on 
the  ed^e  of  the  wharf  close  bv.  I admit  that  mv  knees 
trembled  under  me  when  I assumed  a standing  pos- 
ture again,  and  that  large  beads  of  perspiration  stood 
upon  my  brow  when  I thought  of  the  probable  conse- 
quences to  myself,  had  the  shell  entered  my  narrow 
quarters. 

DIGGING  UP  THE  EXEZSHES’  SHOT. 

It  was  comical  to  watch  the  soldiers  near  the  wharves, 
in  the  door-wav  of  some  old  store  house,  when  a shot 
from  the  rebel  batteries  struck  the  earth  near  them.  At 
such  times,  all  would  dodge  into  the  building  and  wait 
long  enough  for  an  explosion,  if  the  missile  was  a shell, 
if  not,  they  at  once  began  to  dig  it  up,  and  many  a 
solid  shot  thrown  by  the  Johnnies  in  this  way,  was  re- 
turned  to  them  a few  moments  after  from  the  mouths  of 
our  guns.  Xot  all  solid  shots  either,  for  some  of  the 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


279 


shells  fired  by  them  were  unloaded,  showing  conclu- 
sively that  they  were  short  of  powder,  and  emptied  the 
powder  out  of  their  shells  into  bags  to  make  blank  car- 
tridges of.  Sometimes  the  soldiers  did  not  w£^t  long 
enough  to  be  (jpnvinced  that  it  was  a solid  shot,  or  oth- 
'erwise,  that  had  buried  itself,  but  ran  out  just  as  the 
shell  burst,  and  consequently  were  showered  by  the  fly- 
ing debris,  running  a near  chance  of  being  maimed  or 
killed  by  the  fragments. 

I 

SHANDY  MCGUIRE. 

A shell  from  a rebel  twenty-four  pound  Parrott  gun 
in  a newly  located  battery  situated  on  Red  hill,  three- 

fourths  of  a mile  away,  was  dropped  into  the  camp  of 

✓ 

the  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  one  morning  just  at 
breakfast  time,  when  as  usual,  the  rebs  amused  them- 
selves by  firing  at  any  group  in  sight.  The  boys  sought 
shelter  behind  a traverse  (thrown  up  to  protect  them 
from  cross  firing),  as  the  shell  was  heard  screaming 
through  the  air.  The  elevation  of  the  gun  was  not 
sufficient  to  throw  it  into  the  works.  It  struck  outside 
with  a heavy  thud,  toppled  end  over  end  inside  the 
works,  passing  through  the  end  of  a tent,  obliterating 
the  spot,  still  warm  from  the  head  of  a comrade  that 
had  rested  there  but  a short  time  previous.  Passing  on 
it  buried  itself  in  the  traverse  beyond,  but  did  not  burst. 


280 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


It  was  shortly  after  dug  up  and  sent  back  on  its  way  to 
the  rebs,  with  the  compliments  of  the  regiment.  But 
the  soldiers  were  not  the  only  ones  interested  in  that 
shell.  ♦Snowball,  a colored  boy,  the  pet  of  the  sergeants 
of  Company  H,  was  coming  from  the  p^mp  with  two 
pails  of  water  jn  his  hands  ; he  reached  the  camp  about ' 
the  same  time  as  the  shell,  and  having  a natural  desire 
to  get  behind  something,  rushed  into  the  tent  just  as  the 
shell  was  passing  through  the  back  side.  Snowball 
did  not  stay  long  in  that  tent,  nor  put  on  his  usual  style 
in  coming  out ; he  came  at  once  and  all  in  a heap,  still 
clinging  to  his  pails,  however,  the  contents  of  which 

I 

he  had  spilled  over  himself.  His.  next  move  was  exe- 
cuted with  better  judgment,  as  he  thought,  for  he  dove  . 
head  first  into  the  cross  traverse  trench  which  was  of 
yellow,  sticky  clay,  black  as  midnight  when  he  disap- 
peared, yellow  when  he  re-appeared,  plastered  from  his 
head  to  his  feet  with  clay.  One  of  the  boys  facetiously 
remarked,  ‘‘Stand  in  the  sun  and  dry  ; we  can  then  use 
you  for  a statue.”  But  Snowball’s  eyes  were  fixed  on 
the  hill  from  whence  came  the  shell,  and  as  he- halted 
on  the  brink  of  the  trench,  bang  ! came  another  shell 
on  its  way.  Straight  for  the  town  Snowball  made  his 
way.  Through  ploughed  fields  he  fiew,  a yellow  streak, 
which  no  shell  could  overtake.  The  soles  of  his  “army 
whangs,”  as  they  turned  up  in  sight,  covered  his  back 
from  view.  He  did  not  return  to  camp  again.  He  run 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


281 


the  blockade  with  General  Foster  that  night  on  the 
“Escort.”  It  is  not  probable  that  his  presence  inspired 
the  gallant  general  with  any  more  courage  in  his  dan- 
gerous undertaking. 

The  rebs  had  a trick  of  using  cow  bells  on  the  necks 

of  their  horses,  when  reconnoitering  our  works  at  night, 

thinking  the  sentries  would  imagine  them  cows  feeding, 

as  they  drove  in  several  belonging  to  the  Buffaloes,  when 

♦ 

first  investing  Washington  ; but  the  boys  soon  discovered 
the  trick,  and  strict  orders  were  given  to  the  sentries 
to  fire  at  hearing  the  least  noise  resembling  a bell.  In 
Company  H,  Forty-fourth  Massachusetts  was  a brave, 
sturdy  Irish  lad,  grit  to  the  back-bone,  called  Shandy 
McGuire.  The  next  night  after  the  order  was  issued, 
he  was  on  guard.  It  is,  or  is  said  to  be  “the  darkest 
just  before  dawn.”  It  was  at  this  hour  that  Shandy’s 

attention  was  attracted  by  the  faint  sound  of  a bell  in 

% 

the  distance,  apparently  slowly  coming  his  way.  Alert 
and  silently  he  waited,  determined  to  do  or  die.  Nearer 
and  nearer  came  the  tinkling  bell.  Presently  a dim 
outline  of  something  or  other  was  seen  through  the  dark- 
ness. “Who  goes  there  ?”  hailed  Shandy.  “Moo-oo,” 
said  the  thing.  “I  have  ye  covered  ; come  in  or  I’ll 
shoot.”  “Moo,”  answered  the  object.*  Shandy  was 
bound  to  obey  orders,  even  if  it  ended  the  war;  so 
taking  deliberate  aim  at  the  shadowy  object,  he  fired. 
There  was  a terrible  thrashing  in  the  underbrush  for  a 

O 


282 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


moment  or  two,  then  a sepulchral  moan,  and  all  was 
quiet.  At  the  report  of  Shandy’s  gun,  the  company 
turned  out  lively  and  manned  the  works,  thinking  it 
was  an  .attack.  Shandy,  upon  being  interrogated,  said 
he  had  shot  something  and  thought  it  was  a rebel  or  a 
horse,  but  he  was  anxious  for  more  light.  "When  day- 
light appeared.  Shandy’s  dead  rebel  turned  out  to  be  a 
fat  cow. 

‘‘Begorra  !”  exclaimed  he ; I thought  it  was  a rebel. 

A cow  is  it?  Faix,  b’ys,  a cow  is  better  ating  nor  a 

reb  or  a horse.  It’s  mate  ye  want.”  Indeed,  the  boys 

were  sadly  in  need  of  it,  and  blessings  were  showered 

upon  Shandy  as  a benefactor. 

But  when  the  cow  was  opened, 

And  the  meat  began  to  fry, 

It  was  so  strong  with  garlic, 

The  tears  came  in  each  eye. 

The  boys  could  not  eat  Shandy’s  beef,  though  they 
faithfully  tried.  Short  rations  had  got  them  in  such  a 
condition  that  they  could  not  stomach  beef  so  strongly 
impregnated  with  rebel  garlic.  These  little  incidents > 
trivial  as  they  may  appear,  served  nevertheless  to  relieve 
the  monotony  of  camp  life,  for  even  to  men  waiting 
to  get  killed  it  becomes  tiresome  after  a while. 

OLD  NEVER  SWEAT. 

The  long  thirty-two  pound  gun,  spoken  of  in  another, 
chapter,  as  being  mounted  by  the  rebs  in  a corn-field > 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


283 


created  much  merriment  on  board  the ‘‘Louisiana ; ” 
although  it  was  far  from  being  mirthful  to  the  citizens 
in  the  town,  who  were  forced,  in  some  instances,  to 
seek  protection  from  its  iron  missiles  in  their  cellars. 
The  boys  named  the  gun  Old  Never  Sweat.  At  one 
stage  of  the  siege,  when  ammunition  was  plentiful,  we 
were  allowed  to  play  at  long  tar  with  the  Johnnies, 

I 

without,  however,  accomplishing  anything  more  than  a 
waste  of  ammunition  oh  both  sides,  although  we  made 
it  warm  for  them  on  several  occasions,  when  we  suc- 
ceeded in  dropping  our  shells  in  close  proximity  to  their 
location.  Again,  when  our  shells  fell  short  and  burst 
in  the  mud  at  the  lower  slope  of  the  bluff,  upon  which 
the  gun  was  situated,  the  mud  could  be  seen  flying  in 
every  direction.  Old  Never  Sweat  divided  his  time 
between  the  different  gun-boats  in  the  harbor,  and  rain- 
ing shots  into  the  devoted  town.  On  the  day  before 
the  rebels  left  us,  they  kept  up  a continual  pounding 
with  Old  Never  Sweat,  upon  the  “Louisiana,”  without 
doubt  to  cover  their  retreat.  It  was  rumored,  however, 
that  a lucky  shot  from  the  “Commodore  Hull”  had 
dismounted  the  gun  and  killed  three  of  the  enemy,  and 
l^hat  the  rebels  had  sunk  it  in  the  mud  in  the  swamp 
close  by.  A diligent  search  by  our  crew  some  days 
after  failed  to  discover  any  traces  of  it,  although  there 

t ^ 

were  found  in  the  corn-field  pieces  of  the  truck  that 
evidently  Old  Never  Sweat  was  mounted  on,  and  the 


284 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


searching  party  was  convinced  that  the  gun  had  been 
disposed  of,  as  rumored. 

THE  LITTLE  BROWN  MOUSE. 

The  mice  were  quite  plentiful  on  board  ship,  and  we 
improvised  traps  of  every  description  imaginable,  to 
catch  and  destroy  them.  But  despite  all  our  efforts, 
they  seemed  to  increase  instead  of  decrease.  They  were 
very  tame,  and  sometimes,  when  the  men  were  seated 
around  the  mess  cloth,  the  little  brown  fellows  would 
come  out  of  their  holes  and  run  among  us.  Though 
we  all  wished  to  be  rid  of  them,  not  a man  among  us 
would  lift  his  hand  to  ruthlessly  kill  one,  while  the  little 
things  were  enjoying  their  dinner,  supper  or  breakfast 
in  that  way.  It  was  only  when  we  found  our  bread  in 
the  bags,  and  hard-tacks  nibbled,  that  we  vowed  ven- 
geance against  the  whole  race.  The  monotonous  life 
on  board  ship  put  the  sailors  to  their  wit’s  end,  every 
day,  to  contrive  some  way  to  pass  the  time.  Some  of 
them  made  pets  of  every  live  creature  that  chanced  to 
come  in  their  way.  The  pets  were  kept  on  the  berth 
deck  and  vigilantly  guarded  by  the  men  ; but  woe  to 
them — I mean  the  pets — if  any  of  them  found  their  way 
to  the  spar  deck  unaccompanied  by  a protector.  The 
creatures  would  be  seized  upon  by  the  officer  of  the 
deck,  and  in  a moment  more  would  be  food  for  fishes. 
One  evening  while  I sat  writing  a letter  home,  although 


I 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


285 


without  any  very  definite  idea  how  the  epistle  was  to 
reach  its  destination,  as  we  were  blockaded  in  so  by  the 
rebels.  However,  as  I said  before,  I sat  writing  the 
letter  on  the  berth  deck,  with  the  mess  chest  for  a 
table,  and  a couple  of  candles  stuck  on  the  lid,  to  give 
me  light.  These  were  fastened  by  dropping  a little  of 
the  tallow  on  the  lid,  and  before  it  had  time  to  harden, 
planting  the  butt-end  of  the  candles  firmly  in  it,  when  it 
would  stick  as  long  as  the  candles  burned.  I was  seated 
thus,  when  my  attention  was  called  to  some  dark  object 
at  the  base  of  one  of  my  dips.  Looking  closer,  Ifound 
it  was  a mouse,  and  there  he  sat,  as  unconcerned  as 
possible,  nibbling  away  at  my  property.  Now,  as 
candles  were  very  scarce,  and  not  to  be  had  for  the 
asking,  my  first  thought  was  one  of  indignation,  and  I 
made  a move  to  annihilate  him,  but  better  thoughts 
prevailed.  I lowered  my  hand,  and  sat  and  watched 
him  nibble  at  the  little  mountain  of  tallow,  collected  at 
the  base  of  the  candle.  He  looked  very  cunning,  as  he 
raised  himself  up  on  his  haunches,  and  gnawed  away 
quite  a large  piece  of  the  tallow  that  he  had  dislodged 
from  the  piece  before  him.  How  his  little  black  eyes 
did  sparkle,  as  he  stopped  nibbling  the  greasy  stuff,  and 
looked  at  me  very  intently.  For  a second  or  two,  the 
little  creature’s  countenance  expressed  a sort  of  surprise, 
as  if  in  wonderment  as  to  what  part  of  the  earth’s  king- 
dom I belonged  to.  At  last,  finishing  the  piece  he  held 


286 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

in  his  fore  feet,  he  dropped  on  all  fours  again,  and 

began  the  work  of  demolishing  what  was  left  of  my 

candle,  which  by  this  time  had  burned  well  down,  not 

more  than  half  an  inch  remaining.  As  I continued  to 

look  at  my  little  brown  mouse,  a strange  thing  hap- 

pened  by  which  the  little  mouse  came  to  grief,  and 
» 

your  humble  servant  was  considerably  astonished. 
The  mouse  gave  a vigorous  squeak,  then  another  and 
another ; then  he  commenced  to  tumble  about  for  a 
second  or  two.  It  was  simply  impossible  for  me  to 
say  whether  he  was  dancing  on  his  head  or  his  hind 
feet,  but  finally,  giving  a squeak  equalling  all  the  other 
squeaks  combined,  he  disappeared  behind  the  mess  ^ 
chest.  I laid  myself  back  and  laughed  silently  at  my 
little  visitor,  as  he  performed  his  funny  antics,  but  at 
his  disappearance,  I set  myself  to  work  to  discover  what 
could  possibly  have  made  him  act  in  such  a manner. 
As  I cast  my  eyes  upon  the  candle,  the  truth  dawned 
upon  me  at  once.  As  the  wick  burned  down  into  the 
candle,  I noticed  the  hot  fat  rolling  down  the  outside 
and  solidifying  at  itsi  base.  The  mystery  was  solved. 
My  little  brown  mouse  had  nibbled  into,  or  had  come  in 
contact  with  the  hot  grease,  as  it  fiowed  down,  and  it 
had  stuck  on  his  nose,  and  no  doubt  scalded  that  mem- 
ber. In  the  midst  of  peace  we  are  in  danger,  I thought, 
and  how  did  I know  that  some  rebel  shot  might  not  be 
directed  through  the  side  of  the  old  ‘‘Louisiana,”  and 


I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


287 


knock  my  fancied  security  into  a cocked  hat,  even  as 
the  little  brown  mouse  had  been  disturbed,  while  he 
thought  himself,  if  he  thought  at  all,  safe  from  dan- 
ger. But  it  was  time  to  turn  in,  so  I put  out  the 
flickering  remains  of  the  candles,  and  scraping  up  with 
my  knife  the  refuse  from  the  tallow  dips,  quickly 
divested  myself  of  my  outer  garments,  then  swung  into 
my  hammock,  to  await  a call,  either  from  the  boatswain 
or  the  rebels. 

IN  THE  FORT  . UNDER  FIRE. 


Business  called  me  on  shore  one  fine  day,  and  after 
transacting  the  same,  I concluded  to  visit  the  fort.  The 

rebels  on  the  town  side  had  not  made  any  demon- 

« 

strations  for  a number  of  hours,  and  I thought  it 
vrould  be  a fine  thing  to  pay  the  boys  a visit  and  see 
what  was  being  done  inside  the  fort.  So  I wended  my 
way  in  that  direction.  A few  minutes  walk  sufficed  to 
bring  me  in  sight  of  the  fort,  and  in  a short  time  I was 
hailed  by  the  sentry,  at  the  double  gates.  I explained 
to  him  that  I wished  to  go  inside  of  the  works.  Bid- 
ding me  wait  a moment,  he  called  the  corporal  of  the 
guard,  and  upon  his  approach,  the  sentry  imparted  to 
him  my  wish. 

“Well,  Id-o-n-t  k-n-o-w  about  it,”  drawled  the  cor- 
poral. “The  enemy  are  liable  to  open  fire  on  us  at  any 
moment ; I can’t  tell  the  time  since  the  siege  began 


288  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

/ 

when  the  Johnnies  have  been  so  quiet.  Ill  be  bound 
they  are  up  to  some  mischief,  and  if  they  commence  to 
whoop  her  up,  youll  have  to  stay  with  us  in  the  fort 
until  they  git  tired  of  throwing  their  blarsted  iron.” 

I assured  him  that  I was  willing,  and  that  I would 
like  to  go  inside  under  those  conditions.  ^ 

‘‘All  right,  come  in  then,”  he  said,  “we  like  to  ac- 
commodate any  of  the  boys  of  the  ‘Louisiana.’” 

As  we  passed  through  the  gateway,  he  told  me  con- 
fidently, that  they  couldn’t  stay  a day  in  that  blarsted 
town  if  it  was  not  for  the  “Louisiana.”  Then  turning 
towards  me,  after  getting  inside  the  fort  and  putting 
his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  he  said  in  a low  tone,  “The 
boys  in  here  are  all  brave  fellows  and  would  fight  to 
the  last  drop  of  their  blood  for  the  cause,  but  if  the  old 
“Louisiana”  should  leave  her  post  at  the  bridge  how 
long  would  it  be,  think  you,  before  thn  rebels  would  con- 
centrate their  forces  and  march  across  the  same  bridge 
and  take  us  all  into  camp  ?” 

I told  him  that  I was  well  aware  of  the  fact  that  we 
held  the  post  of  honor,  and  had  heard  one  of  the  New 
York  cavalry  men  say  only  a day  or  two  before,  that  a 
prisoner  captured  by  them  in  one  of  their  raids  said 
that  he  overheard  General  Hill  address  one  of  his  staff 
officers.  Saying,  that  if  that  infernal  gunboat  could 
only  be  disposed  of  in  some  way,  he  could  capture  the 
town  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours.  But  as  it  is,  the 


I 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  289 

“Louisiana”  with  her  heavy  guns  can  sweep  the  bridge 
of  men  as  fast  as  they  could  be  brought  forward. 

As  we  entered  the  fort,  General  Foster  sat  tipped 
back  in  a chair  behind  one  of  the  bomb-proofs  reading 
a paper.  He  seemed  to  be  as  unconcerned  as*  if  read- 
ing in  his  own  parlor  at  home.  Bang,  Bang  ! “Hello  ! 
look  out  for  yourself ; the  rebs  are  going  to  dose  us 
again  with  their  blarsted  iron,”  said  the  corporal,  and 
he  hurriedly  left  me  to  attend  to  his  duties  at  one  of  the 
guns.  The  general  stopped  reading  his  paper,  looked 
up,  as  the  reports  of  the  firing  were  heard,  followed 
immediately  after  by  the  who-o-o  of  the  shot  and  shell. 
One  struck  the  bomb-proof  and  buried  itself  in  the 
earth  on  the  top,  doing  no  more  damage  than  making 
the  dirt  and  the  dust  fly.  In  a few  moments  the  gen- 
eral resumed  his  reading  and  appeared  as  unconcerned 
\ as  before.  I could  not  help  admiring  him  for  his  cool- 
ness, as  I hurried  past  him  to  seek  a place  where  I 
could  command  a view  of  the  rebels  and  also  put  my- 
self in  a less  conspicuous  position,  for  I did  not  like 

I 

. the  idea  of  getting  hit  as  long  as  I was  only  a visitor 
and  really  had  no  business  there  at  all.  But  as  I was 
there,  I reasoned,  I would  try  to  make  the  most  of  it 
and  see  all  the  fun,  if  I may  be  allowed  to  term  it  such. 
The  rebels  kept  firing  at  intervals,  and  between  the  in- 
tervals I raised  myself  cautiously  and  looked  over  the 
parapet.  The  fort  had  not  as  yet  replied  to  their 


, ' \ 

« 

I 


290 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


fire,  but  as  they  were  getting  ready  to  do  so,  I 
remained  where  I was,  close  to  one  of  the  guns,  to  see 
the  effect  of  a shot  among  the  enemy.  Some  of  the 
rebels  could  be  seen  quite  plainly  sitting  on  the  fop  of 
their  earth-works , and  when  the  soldiers  in  the  fort 
opened  fire  on  them,  they  tipped  back  into  their  retreat 
for  all  the  world  like  so  many  prairie  dogs  disappearing 
into  their  holes  on  the  approach  of  danger.  By  this 
I do  not  mean  to  have  it  understood  that  the  rebels  were 
cowardly,  far  from  it ; they  were  brave  enough  and 
fought  well  during  the  long  siege.  Their  showing 
themselves  on  the  top  of  their  works,  was  only  to  ag- 
gravate the  boys  in  the  fort  and  draw  their  fire,  which, 

9 

at  the  distance  they  were,  resulted  in  almost  a waste  of 
ammunition. , ^ Ch-o-o,  cho-o-oo,  chug,  bang  ! came  the 
shell,  then  a shot  from  a Whitworth  gun  ; choo,  cho-o-o, 
cho-o,  chug;  as  it  buried  itself  either  in  the' bank  of 
the  fort  or  in  the  rear  on  the  top  of  the  bomb-proof,  or 
spent  its  force  on  the  outside  after  passing  clear  over 
the  fort.  The  rebs  kept  it  up  for  an  hour,  the  fort 
returning  an  occasional  shot,  then  both  sides,  as  if  by 
mutual  consent,  ceased  firing,  and  I was  at  liberty  to 
leave  the  fort,  if  I felt  inclined,  and  I did. 

, RUNNING  THE  PICKET  LINE. 

One  of  the  Buffaloes  was  on  a furlough  to  visit  his 
family,  when  the  rebels  put  in  an  appearance  around 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


291 


Little  Washington,  and  consequently  he  was  in  a poor 
way  to  return  to  camp  without  being  detected.  His 
wife  uro;ed  him  to  liedn  hidinp’  till  the  town  was  either 
captured  or  the  enemy  had  retreated.  But  the  brave 
fellow  would  not  listen  to  her  entreaties,  and  was 
determined  to  get  inside  the  line  at  all  hazards.  He 
chose  a dark  night  for  his  purpose,  and  bidding  his  wife 
and  children  good-bye,  he  glided  out  into  the  darkness, 
followed  by  his  wife’s  prayer  for  his  safety.  We  will 
let  him  tell  his  own  story : 

‘‘After  leaving  the  house,  I stole  softly  along, 
although  I was  several  miles  from  the  camp  of  the 
rebs,  yet  I thought  1 could  not  be  too  careful,  as  my 
life  was  at  stake,  and  I did  not  know  how  far  back  the 
rebs  might  have  extended  their  pickets.  I had  traveled 

a little  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  way,  when  I heard 

\ 

the  snapping  of  a twig,  then  a crackling  sound  of  sticks 
breaking  or  crunching  under  foot,  then  all  was  silent 
again.  I crawled  slowly  towards  a clump  of  trees  on  my 
right,  and  crouched  down  beside  them.  Peering  into 
the  darkness,  I tried  to  make  out  what  it  was  that  had 
caused  the  noise.  For  a longtime  all  was  still ; then  I 
heard  the  same  sound  again.  Creeping  forward  a lit- 
tle, I looked  again  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and 
my  heart  leaped  into  my  throat,  for  there,  not  more 
. than  ten  feet  away,  I discovered  a rebel  picket.  Back- 
ing out  a little  way,  I rose  to  my  feet,  when  by  an 


292 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY, 


unlucky  mis-step,  I caused  the  breakage  of  a number 
of  twigs  under  my  feet,  and  the  next  instant  came 
the  challenge  : 

‘‘‘Halt!  Who  comes  there  r ’ ^ 

“A  moment  after  he  fired.  As  I turned  and  ran, 
there  came  several  reports  in  rapid  succession,  and  I 
heard  the  balls  whistle  uncomfortably  near  me.  Then 
silence  reigned  for  a moment,  succeeded,  however,  by 
shouting  in  my  rear.  I ran  in  an  opposite  direction  for 
nearly  twenty  minutes,  perhaps ; my  hands  and  face 
were  badly  scratched,  and  my  clothes  torn  by  briars 
and  bushes.  Then  I obliqued  towards  the  rebel  lines. 
The  first  thing  I knew  I was  on  the  banks  of  the  Tar 
river,  and  as  near  as  I could  judge,  in  close  proximity 
to  their  lines  again.  If  I could  only  find  a boat  now, 
I thought ; so  I carefully  waded  out  into  the  water  and 
began  groping  around  the  edge  of  the  bushes  that  lined 
the  bank.  Fortunately  my  hand  came  in  contact  with 
a canoe  partly  pulled  out  of  the  water  into  a sort  of 
clearing.  Stealthily  I began  to  pull  it  out,  and  found 
it  was  not  fastened.  The  slight  grating  noise  made  by 
the  bottom  of  the  canoe  as  I pulled  it  along  towards  the 
water,  caused  me  some  apprehension,  as  I was  afraid 
the  attention  of  some  rebel  might  be  drawn  towards 
me  by  it.  But  happily  I succeeded  in  getting  it  afloat. 
Carefully  depositing  my  rifle  on  the  bottom  of  the  canoe, 
I pushed  out,  taking  care  not  to  splash  the  water  as  I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


293 


drew  my  legs  out.  Feeling  around,  as  the  dug-out 
gradually  floated  out  towards  the  middle  of  the  stream 
with  the  impetus  I gave  it  on  the  start,  I could  find 
only  a short  piece  of  scantling,  left  there  by  the  owner, 
probably,  and  with  this  I managed  to  paddle  slowly  to 
the  centre  of  the  river,  for  my  intention  was  to  get  into 

the  current.  I heard  noises  in  the  woods  on  the  side 

# 

I had  just  left,  and  I redoubled  my  efforts,  taking  care 
not  to  make  a noise  as  I changed  my  paddle  from  side 
to  side  of  my  frail  craft.  But  despite  all  my  caution  in 
shifting  the  piece  of  wood  from  side  to  side,  I hit  against 
the  gunwale  of  the  boat,  making  a sharp  noise  in  the 
still  night  air,  that  echoed  on  the  shore.  I listened  in- 
tently, and  distinctly  heard  a voice  : ‘I  say.  Bill,  did 

you  hear  that  noise  out  tharjn  the  river?’  Then  I 
heard  some  one  reply  further  down  the  river,  but  I 
could  not  catch  the  words.  In  another  moment,  bang  ! 
bang  ! went  two  muskets,  followed  by  the  zip  ! zip  ! 
of  the  bjullets,  as  they  flew  over  my  head.  All  I could 
do  now  was  to  lie  down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  and 
keep  quiet,  for  I was  being  earned  along  very  fast, 
having  struck  the  current.  Bang ! bang ! bang ! 
Three  more  shots,  but  all  went  astern.  The  night  was 
terribly  dark,  and  I knew  that  it  must  be  a wild  shot 
that  would  hit  me.  I was  secrectly  congratulating 
myself  on  escaping  so  easily,  when  a volley  was  fired 
from  the  shore,  and  some  of  the  bullets  passed  clear 


294 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


through  the  frail  sides  of  my  canoe,  and  one  grazed 
my  left  temple  as  I lay  partly  on  my  right  side.  Hastily 
putting  my  hand  to  the  place,  I found  it  was  only  a 
flesh  wound,  although  it  bled  freely.  I was  not  so 
sanguine  of  success  now,  as  I became  aware  that  they 
could  see  my  boal,  indistinctly  to  be  sure,biit  distinctly 
enough  to  give  them  something  to  aim  at.  Straggling 
shots  were  now  fired,  but  as  I could  hear  the  zip,  only 
occasionally,  of  the  bullets,  I made  up  my  mind  that  I 
was  nearly  out  of  range ; so  I sat  up  in  the  boat,  and 
soaking  my  handkerchief  in  the  water,  bound  it  about 
my  temples.  The  rebels  had  ceased  firing  now,  so  I 
tried  to  pierce  the  darkness  and  ascertain,  if  possible, 
my  whereabouts.  The  current  seemed  getting  inshore. 
I listened  intently  for  something  to  guide  me,  but  there 
was  not  the  slightest  sound  except  the  too-hoo  ! too- 
hoo  ! of  an  owl.  I must  have  floated  two  miles,  or 
perhaps  more,  when  the  canoe  fetched  up  against  some 
obstruction  and  swung  around  broadside  to  the  current. 
Feeling  cautiously  over  the  side,  I found  to  my  delight 
that  I had  brought  up  against  the  blockade.  I was 
now  safe ; all  I had  to  do  was  to  step  out  and  walk  the 
logs  to  the  shore.  I was  challenged  by  the  sentry,  and 
after  what  seemed  to  me  an  age,  I was  ordered  to  come 
ashore.  In  a short  time  after  I was  in  camp.  But  you 
see  here,”  putting  his  hand  to  his  head,  “1  carry  a scar 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


295 


that  will  remind  me  of  that  fearful  night  during  all  my 
lifetime.” 

OUR  POWDER  BOY  JOHNNY. 

Shortly  after  the  capture  of  New  Berne,  some  of  our 
boys  were  ashore  on  liberty,  and  by  chance  came  across 
a small  boy  about  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  had  left 
his  home  in  New  York  and  followed  a regiment  which 
had  taken  part  in  the  Burnside  expedition  to  North  Car- 
olina. The  poor  little  fellow  had  had  a hard  time  of  it 
with  the  army,  not  that  he  was  ill-treated  by  the  sol- 
diers, but  soldier’s  fare  is  hard  enough  for  grown  men, 
let  alone  little  boys.  One  of  the  boys  had  fallen  sick 
and  died,  and  this  only  made  the  lot  of  the  survivor 
harder  to  bear,  and  when  found  by  our  mess-mates  he 
was  bemoaning  his  sad  lot,  and  longing  for  his  home  in 
the  north.  Our  men  took  pity  on  him  and  their  sym- 
pathy was  aroused  by  hearing  his  sad  tale.  They 
induced  the  soldiers  to  part  with  him,  as  he  could  be 
made  very  useful  on  board  ship,  and  it  would  be  for  his 

I 

interest  in  the  end,  if  he  survived  the  war.  The  soldiers 
were  loath  to  part  with  Johnny,  and  it  was  only  after 
a great  deal  of  persuasion  on  the  part  of  my  mess-mates, 
who  pictured  to  them  the  benefits  the  little  fellow  would 
receive  by  the  change,  that  they  concluded  it  was  better 
to  let  him  go  where  he  would  be  well  taken  care  of. 

I 

20  , 


296 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


Johnny  was  brought  on  board  the  ^‘Louisiana”  and  as- 
signed to  the  care  of  the  yeoman,  Mr.  Ross.  Johnny’s 
name  was  entered  on  the  ship’s  books,  and  he  was  rated 
as  powder  boy.  His  pay  was  to  be  five  dollars  a month 
and  found.  Every  day  we  were  sure  to  see  him  on 
shore  flirting  with  the  ladies,  for  they  took  a great 
fancy  to  our  powder  boy,  and  invited  him  to  visit  them 
at  their  homes,  where  they  petted  him  to  their  heart’s 
content,  and  he  deserved  it,  for  he  was  a handsome  and 
well-behaved  boy.  He  made  friends  wherever  he  went. 

t 

But  Johnny  could  not  be  persuaded  to  stay  over  night 
on  shore,  even  if  he  had  been  allowed  to  do  so.  His 
wages  were  sent  to  his  home,  and  his  mother  put  every 
cent  into  the  bank,  so  she  wrote  him.  Johnny  was  a 
great  favorite  with  the  crew  and  officers.  He  was 
taught  to  tie  all  kinds  of  fancy  knots,  splice  ropes,  and 
many  were  the  yarns  that  were  told  him,  of  fights  by 
sea  and  land  by  the  good-natured  seamen.  He  was 
an  apt  scholar  and  very  soon  learned  to  make  himself 
useful  aboard  ship.  Some  of  the  men  clubbed  together 
and  made  him  a suit  of  blue  clothes  and  another  one  of 
white  duck. 

At  the  siege  of  Little  Washington  Johnny  proved 
himself  a hero.  From  the  magazine  to  the  guns,  fore 
and  aft,  could  be  seen  the  little  figure,  now  here,  now 
there.  He  showed  no  signs  of  fear,  and  when  some  of 
the  men  cautioned  him  not  to  expose  himself,  he  said. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


297 


^‘Oh,  you  see  I am  so  small  that  the  rebs  can’t  hit  me.’’ 
All  through  the  days  of  fighting  he  bravely  stood  to  his 
work,  and  only  rested  when  the  order  came  to  cease 
firing.  If  living,  he  is  a man  grown  now,  and  if  by 
chance  this  should  meet  his  eye,  he  will  know  that  by 
one  at  least  he  his  still  remembered. 

THE  DEAD  CONTRABAND. 

Bathing  was  indulged  in  when  the  water  was  warm 
enough,  but  up  to  the  time  of  the  siege  we  had  not 
thought  it  quite  the  thing.  About  the  eighth  day  of  the 
siege,  I told  Tom  that  I was  bound  to  try  it,  if  I could 
obtain  permission  from  the  executive  officer.  Going 
aft  to  the  quarter  deck,  I doffed  my  hat  to  the  lieuten- 
ant and  stated  my  errand.  He  demurred  at  first,  as  he 
thought  it  dangerous.  I might  get  picked  off  by  the 
enemy’s  sharp-shooters.  ‘‘Besides,”  said  he,  “the 
water  is  hardly  of  the  proper  temperature.”  I told  him 
I should  go  in  on  the  town  side,  and  thus  I should  be 
out  of  the  sight  of  any  sharp-shooters  who  might  be 
lurking  in  the  woods  on  the  opposite  side  ; and  as  for 
the  water,  even  if  it  was  a little  cold,  the  air  was  so 

I 

warm  that  I thought  I could  stand  the  bathing  part. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  permission  was  granted,  and  I went 
forward  to  impart  the  news  to  the  rest  of  the  men.  In 
an  incredibly  short  time  after,  I was  bounding  from  the 
rail  into  the  river.  It  was  a trifle  cold,  but  after  the 
first  plunge,  I did  not  mind  it. 


298 


KECOLLECTIONS  CW  A SAILOR  BOY. 


‘‘Come  on  boys,”  I shouted,  “It’s  all  right.”  In  a 
few  moments  a dozen  or  more  of  us  were  disporting 
ourselves  in  the  water  in  highglee.  The  water  w^as  not 
particularly  clear,  but  nevertheless,  we  enjoyed  our 
bath.  My  only  objection  to  bathing  in  Tar  river,  was 
a fish  called  the  garfish,  which  resembled  a sw^ord  fish,  in 
that  it  had  a short  sword.  This  kind  of  fish  was  always 
around  the  gunboat,  and  many  times  have  I imagined 
that  I felt  the  touch  of  his  little  bill.  I had  nearly  fin- 
ished  my  swim,  and  was  thinking  of  returning  on  board 
ship,  when  I descried  some  object  a short  distance  from 
us  borne  along  by  the  current.  I immediately  began 
to  swim  for  it,  followed  by  Tom  and  several  others  of 
the  crew.  “Who  knows,”  shouted  I,  “that  the  rebs 
have  not  sent  us  an  infernal  machine.”  We  all  en- 
deavored to  reach  the  fioating  object  first.  Swimming 
up  to  it  cautiously,  we  were  surprised  to  find  that  it  was 
a dead  contraband.  We  put  distance  between  the  corpse 
and  ourselves,  for  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the 
view,  and  hailing  the  gunboat  made  them  acquainted 
with  our  discovery,  when  a boat  was  launched  from  her 
and  the  body  taken  up  and  towed  to  the  wharf,  where 
it  was  given  in  charge  of  the  negroes.  It  seemed  that 
this  man  had  a wife  and  family  up  the  river  at  Green- 
ville, and  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  going  up  there  to 
see  them.  His  journeys  were  made  in  a dug-out.  He 
was  probably  on  his  return  from  one  of  these  visits 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


299 


when  he  was  shot  by  some  person  concealed  on  shore. 
He  had  a bullet  hole  right  through  his  head.  This  poor 
contraband  ran  the  rebel  pickets  at  the  risk  /of  his  life, 
and  had  heretofore  escaped  the  farmer  bushwhackers. 

A FUNNY  INCIDENT. 

Some  of  the  old  sailors  were  allowed  to  visit  the 
shore  for  an  hour  at  a time  during  the  seige,  to  relieve 
the  monotony,  but  that  they  abused  this  privilege,  the 
following  will  show  : 

Commander  Eenshaw  issued  a stringent  order  one 
day  that  the  men  coming  from  shore  should  be  thor- 
oughly searched,  as  some  of  the  seamen  had  been  no- 
ticed after  coming  on  board  from  such  visits  to  be  under 
the  influence  of  liquor.  A party  coming  off  to  the 
ship  shortly  after  the  issuing  of  this  order  was  searched, 
each  man  as  he  stepped  through  the  gangway  to  the 
quarter  deck.  Joe  Reynolds  was  the  last  man  of  the 
party  to  clamber  on  board,  and  he  was  pretty  well  un- 
der the  influence  of  liquor.  The  master-at-arms  com- 
menced to  search  him,  Joe,  meanwhile  protesting 
against  the  indignity  of  compelling  an  able  seaman  to 
be  so  humiliated  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  ship’s  crew. 
He  positively  told  the  master-at-arms  that  all  his  labor 
would  be  useless,  for  he  had  nothing  contraband  about 
him.  But  the  master-at-arms  kept  right  on  with  his 
work  of  searching,  and  finally  putting  his  hand  under 


300 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

Joe’s  pea-jacket,  pulled  forth  from  a very  curiously  con- 
trived receptacle  a bottle  containing  a pint  of  whiskey. 
After  examining  it,  he  held  it  up  that  all  the  officers 
might  see  it.  The  look  of  astonishment  depicted  on 
the  face  of  Joe,  was  laughable  in  the  extreme,  and  de- 
spite the  strict  discipline  of  the  quarter  deck  the  officers 
smiled  a large  smile. 

‘‘How’s  this,”  said  Lieutenant  Westervelt,  who  had 
received  the  bottle  from  the  m'aster-at-arms,  “you  claim 
to  be  free  from  suspicion,  and  set  yourself  up  as  an  ex- 
ample to  the  rest  of  the  crew,  and  yet,  here  is  evidence 
to  convict  you,”  at  the  same  time  holding  the  flask  up 
over  his  head. 

Joe  touched  his  hat  and  said:  “I  was  not  aware 
that  I had  an  enemy  in  the  world,  but  it  seems  I have. 
That  bottle  must  have  been  slipped  under  my  jacket 
without  my  knowledge  by  some  evil  disposed  person 
while  coming  across  in  the  boat,  to  disgrace  me.” 

The  Lieutenant  could  not  suppress  a smile  at  this, 
but  ordered  Joe  to  go  forward,  and  he  himself  hurriedly 
left  the  quarter  deck  ere  his  smile  could  attain  the  di- 
mensions of  a full-fledged  laugh.  Joe  was  not  pun- 
ished this  time. 

THE  scow. 

One  dark  night  while  on  the  lookout  forward,  I ob- 
served a black  object  drifting  with  the  current  about 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


301 


two  fathoms  above  the  gun-boat,  on  the  town 
side.  I immediately  reported  it  to  the  officer  of 
the  deck,  and  he,  after  looking  at  it  for  a moment  by 
the  aid  of  his  glass,  pronounced  it  a scow,  but  could 
not  say  whether  there  was  anything  in  it  or  not.  He 
ordered  me  to  take  the  dingy  and  row  up  to  it,  and 
Tom,  standing  watch  at  the  port  gangway,  was  ordered 
to  go  with  me.  We  entered  the  boat  and  sculled 

t 

rapidly  towards  the  scow,  for  a scow  it  proved  to  be. 
Tom  clambered  over  the  side  and  was  lost  to  my  view. 
To  tell  the  truth  I had  my  doubts  about  the  scow,  and 
quite  expected  to  find  her  full  of  rebels,  and  when  Tom 
disappeared  over  the  side,  I waited  anxiously,  expecting 
to  hear  a struggle  of  some  sort,  but  in  a moment  my 
fears  were  dispelled  by  Tom’s  cheery  voice  from  the 
furthest  corner  of  the  boat. 

‘Ht’s  all  right,  Steve,  she’s  empty.” 

“Well,  hurry  up  then,  Tom ; we  are  drifting  a good 
ways  from  the  “Louisiana,”  and  we  shall  have  hard 
work  sculling  back.” 

Tom  let  himself  down  the  side  of  the  scow  into  the 
dingy,  and  I labored  at  the  oar  to  regain  the  gun-boat, 
which  we  could  see  in  the  distance.  The  current  was 
against  us,  but  I bent  to  the  oar,' when  I heard  a hail 
proceeding  from  the  “Commodore  Hull,”  which  was 
only  a short  distance  from  us. 

“Ahoy  ! what  craft  is  that?” 


302  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  ROY. 

^ . 

‘‘Keep  sculling,  Steve,  they  are  hailing  the  scow; 
hope  they’ll  get  an  answer.” 

“Ahoy!  Ahoy!”  No  answer,  of  course.  The 
boatswain’s  whistle  to  general  quarters,  and  again  to 
lower  the  boats  away,  the  rattle  of  the  oars,  the  “give 
way,  men,”  from  the  officer  in  command,  were  the 
sounds  that  came  in  rapid  succession  to  our  ears,  and 
we  laughed  gleefully  to  think  how  nicely  they  were  i 
being  fooled.  Tom  relieved  me  at  the  oar,  while  I 
took  my  seat  at  the  bow.  Twenty  minutes  after,  we  were 
up  to  the  “Louisiana.”  Making  the  dingy  fast  by  the 
painter  to  the  belaying  pin  at  the  starboard  gangway,  I 
reported  to  the  officer  of  the  deck,  who  was  on  the 
qui  vive^  and  had  silently  mustered  the  crew — the 
result  of  our  expedition.  A few  inoments  after  our 
return,  the  rebs  opened  fire  at  Rodman’s  Point;  they, 
too,  were  fooled. 

Some  of  the  boys  were  religiously  inclined  during 
the  si^ge,  and  rather  more  so  the  last  few  days  before 
receiving  reinforcements.  That  was  all  very  well,  if 
they  had  only  been  as  assiduous  before  and  after  in  their 
devotion,  but  they  back-slided,  some  of  them  a few 
days,  others  a few  weeks  after  the  siege.  If  they  had 
only  remained  steadfast,  they  would  have  set  an  ex- 
ample for  others  to  follow ; but  for  very  shame,  they 
did  not  dare  to  throw  away  their  prayer  books  and  their 
testaments,  which  some  of  them  always  carried  during 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


303 


the  days  of  fighting,  and  when  not  at  the  guns,  paced 
the  decks  fore  and  aft,  with  their  eyes  glued  to  the 
pages.  If  an  oath  dropped  from  the  lips  of  some  of  the 
more  careless  of  the  crew,  they  put  on  such  a sancti- 
monious look,  that  despite  the  wish  of  all  not  to  ridicule 
men  who,  for  the  time  being,  were  trying  to  be  good,  at 
times  it  was  next  to  impossible  not  to  laugh.  Some 
there  were  who  really  were  earnest  in  their  belief,  and 
held  prayer  meetings  in  the  chain  locker  twice  a week, 
and  thereby  set  a good  example  to  the  rest  of  us.  Many 
times,  both  before  and  after  the  siege,  have  Tom  and  I 
sat  and  enjoyed  the  beautiful  hymns  sung  by  their 
manly  voices.  The  leader  of  this  little  band  of  praying 
men  was  Jimmy  Wilkinson,  an  Englishman,  and  a 
truly  good  Christian,  respected  by  every  man  on  board. 
On  the  other  hand,  one  who  had  been  the  very  strongest 
in  his  devotions — and  he  belonged  to  the  new  draft — 
was  given,  upon  the  expiration  of  his  time,  by  Mr. 

Wilkinson,  a recommendation  to  two  ministers  of  the 

/ 

gospel  in  New  Berne.  My  term  of  service  expired  at 
the  same  time,  and  I saw  that  man  on  board  the  trans- 
port which  we  boarded,  engaged  in  playing  a game  of 
cards  for  money. 

For  one  to  relate  all  that  happened  during  the  siege, 
from  his  own  personal  standpoint,  would  be,  to  say  the 
least,  simply  impossible,  and  of  that  noisy  crew — those 
that  still  survive  I mean — I do  not  know  where  to  lay 


i 


304  RECOLLECTIONS  ^E  A SAILOR  BOY. 

my  hand  upon  but  two.  They  are  scattered  far  and 
wide,  by  mountain,  stream  and  sea ! Could  I but 
have  had  their  knowledge  of  events,  combined  with 
my  own,  this  book  would  have  been  lengthened  and 
the  story  necessarily  strengthened. 

But  the  time  had  at  last  arrived  which  wc  had  so 
anxiously  looked  forward  to,  for  on  the  coming  morrow 
the  services  of  the  new  draft  would  expire,  and  all  were 
happy.  And  well  we  might  be,  for  with  the  exception 

of  a deal  of  knocking  about,  we  had  been  very  well 
cared  for,  and  had  also  been  fortunate  so  far,  that  not 

a man  out  of  the  thirty,  comprising  the  new  draft,  had 
experienced  a really  sick  day  during  our  term  of  service. 


/ 


GHAPTCR  XVI. 

^ • 

• 

HOMEWARD  BOUND. 

“ Who  can  tell  the  joy  we  feel 
While  o’er  the  waves  our  vessel  reels?” 

WE  turned  in  that  night  with  the  satisfaction  that 
the  Hiorrow  would  see  us  on  our  way  to  New 
Berne,  to  gain  transportation  on  some  vessel  bound 
north,  and  for  home.  I slept  but  little,  and  that  little 
was  disturbed  by  dreams.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  we 
were  under  way,  and  it  required  several  moments’ 
thought  to  dispel  that  delusion  when  I awoke  to  con- 
sciousness. I worried  the  night  through  however, 
sleeping  by  fits  and  starts.  Tom  came  and  lay  in  the 
hammock  next  to  mine  while  its  occupant  was  on  watch 
on  deck,  from  two  o’clock  till  four,  and  we  talked  in 
low  tones  of  the  coming  morrow  and  what  we  should 
do.  The  return  of  the  owner  to  his  hammock  pre- 
cluded any  further  conversation  on  our  part,  and  after 
Tom  had  left  me,  I managed  to  sleep  until  the  boat- 
swain’s whistle  sounded. 

As  it  was  our  last  day  on  the  ^‘Louisiana,”  we,  the 
discharged  men,  were  excused  from  all  duty  for  the  day. 


/ 


306  RECOLLECTIONS^pr  A SAILOR  BOY. 

Inducements  were  held  out  to  us  to  re-enlist,  but  with- 
out avail.  One  of  the  new  draft  named  Tillotson,  who 
had  been  promoted  to  the  position  of  purser,  since  his 
enlistment,  was  as  eager  as  any  of  us  to  set  his  face 

I 

homeward,  and  the  inducement  that  he  would  be  con- 
tinued in  that  position  had  no  effect  upon  him  while 
home,  sweet  home,  was  so  near  in  thfe  prospective.  In 
the  course  of  the  day  several  of  us  paid  a farewell  visit 
to  Aunt  Phebe.  The  good  old  soul  was  delighted  to 
see  us,  as  usual,  but  when  we  told  her  that  we  were 
about  to  leave  for  home,  and  that  it  was  our  farewell 
visit  to  her,  she  seemed  to  be  fairly  overcome,  although 
she  had  heard  it  talked  over  a month  or  more  by  us 
when  at  her  house  on  liberty  days. 

Liberty  days  ! shall  I ever  forget  them  ? I ask  my- 
I self  the  question  as  I sit  at  my  desk,  lean  back  in  my 
chair,  and  take  mental  note  of  what  I have  written. 
No,  never.  And  as  my  thoughts  wander  back  to  the 
North  Carolina  shore,  old  Aunt  Phebe,  Tar  river,  the 
bridge  across  it,  the  blockade,  the  rebel  raid,  the  ‘‘Lou- 
isiana,”  the  store  ship,  pleasant  scenes  and  otherwise, 
pass  before  me.  And  I wonder  how  many  are  living 
now,  that  were  actors  in  those  scenes  in  the  great  drama 
of  war.  But  to  return  to  Aunt  Phebe. 

“Bress  yer  boys,  and  may  de  good  Lord  hab  yer 
ebber  in  keeping,  an’  old  Aunty’ll  pray  to  de  Lord  dat 
yer  may  hab  a safe  journey  across  de  dark  waters,  an’ 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILQR  BOY.  307 

dat  he  may  gib  yer  safe  passage  to  your  folks  ober  dar.” 
And  Aunt  Phebe  flourished  her  liands  in  the  direction 
of  the  sea. 

/ 

“Truly,  Aunt  Phebe  is  growing  eloquent,”  said  Tom. 

“Yes,”  said  Joe  Reynolds,  “but  the  sentiments  she 
uttered  just  came  from  her  heart  all  the  same.” 

Joe  spoke  as  though  he  thought  Tom  was  jesting  in 
what  he  said,  but  Tom  hastened  to  set  him  right  in  the 
matter. 

“True  for  you,  Joe,  and  I am  the  last  fellow  to 
make  jest  of  such  sentiments  as  those.  Aunt  Phebe  is 
untutored,  and  poor,  but  her  word  is  just  as  good  as 
Uncle  Sam’s  bond,  and  as  for  her  prayers,  I had  rather 
have  her  praying  for  me  than  some  others  that  I know 
of  who  dress  in  their  broad-cloth  and  white  neckties ; 

I 

and  here’s  one  who  will  ever  think  of  you  and  your 
prayers  as  his  bark  glides  silently  down  the  river  of 
life,”  he  said,  as  he  grasped*  Aunt  Phebe’s  fat,  chunky 
black  hand  in  his,  and  gave  it  such  a squeeze  that  it 
made  the  tears  come  into  her  eyes,  and  she  rolled  them 
until  the  whites  shone  out  again,  and  gave  such  a grim- 
ace, as  makes  me  laugh  to  this  day  when  I think  of  it. 

“I  say,  fellows,”  said  Tom,  “let’s  give  Aunt  Phebe 
a send-off.” 

“Hear!  hear  I”  chorused  the  boys  as  they  gathered 
around  Tom,  for  we  all  knew  that  when  he  opened  his 

/ 


/ 


308 


RECOLLECTIONS^rOF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


mouth  he  was  about  to  say  something  that  was  worth 
listening  to. 

‘‘What  I mean  is,  that  we  send  round  the  hat,  and 
scoop  in  a few  dollars  to  help  her  to  live,  that  she  may 
be  able  to  get  up  something  nice  for  the  boys  we  leave 
behind  us  when  they  are  ashore  on  liberty  days.  Now 
there  is  a dozen  or  more  of  us  present,  some  there  are, 
that  are  to  be  left  behind ; they,  of  course,  can  do  as 
they  think,  about  chipping  in  ; it  will  be  for  their  benefit 
as  well  as  Aunt  Phebe’s  ; what  do  you  say  to  it  ?” 

“I  make  amotion  that  we  do  something  of  that  sort,” 
said  Tom  Jencks. 

“I  second  the  motion,”  said  Howes  Crowell. 

“Motion  made  and  seconded  that  we  all  chip  in 
money  enough  to  give  Aunt  Phebe  some  substantial 
present ; all  those  in  favor  of  the  motion  manifest  it  by 
saying  aye ; contrary  minds  no.  The  ayes  have  it, 
and  it’s  so  voted,”  I said. 

It  was  an  entirely  informal  affair,  and  the  boys  seemed 
satisfied  that  I had  put  myself  foward  as  chairman.  I 
suggested  that  Tillotson  of  the  new  draft  should  pass 
the  hat  round,  and  there  being  no  dissenting  voice,  Mr. 
Tillotson  proceeded  to  do  so.  Each  man  put  his  hand 
into  his  pocket,  and  it  did  not  come  forth  empty.  After 
going  the  rounds,  the  purser  turned  the  hat  over  upon 
the  table,  and  the  contents  were  eagerly  counted.  Mr. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


309 


Tillotson  performed  this  highly  interesting  duty,  and 
at  the  close  announced  the  total  as  being  fifteen  dollars. 

The  boys  then  chose  me  to  make  the  presentation 
speech.  Stepping  up  to  the  table,  1 gathered  the  money 
in  my  hand,  and  turned  to  Aunt  Phebe,  who,  mean- 
while, had  been  standing  open-mouthed  in  amazement 
at  the  turn  affairs  had  taken.  Then  with  all  the  polite- 
ness I could  command,  requested  her  attention  for  a 
few  moments.  A broad  grin  extended  diagonally  across 
her  face  at  my  opening  remarks,  and  I earnestly  pro- 
ceeded with  my  speech,  lest  the  grin  should  expand  to 
her  ears,  and  thereby  cause  a catastrophe. 

‘‘Ahem  !”  said  I,  clearing  my  throat,  “ahem  ! Aunt 
Phebe,  I have  been  instructed  by  the  gentlemen  who 
now  stand  in  your  venerable  presence,  to  speak  for 
them  on  a very  important  matter,  and  to  extend  to  you, 
in  their  behalf,  their  sincere  and  heart-felt  thanks  for 
the  many  favors  bestowed  upon  them  while  ashore  on 
liberty  days  ; favors  that  will  not  readily  be  forgotten  by 
the  crew  of  the  “Louisiana.”  For  the  favors  shown  to 
these  before  you,  as  their  chosen  representative,  I now 
present  to  you  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars,  in  Uncle  Sam’s 
legal  currency.”  With  this  I put  the  money  into  her 
horny  hand  outstretched  to  receive  it.  “It  is  the  prayer 
of  your  humble  servant,  that  your  shadow  may  never 
grow  less,  until  the  voice  calls  you  to  vacate  this  mun- 
dane sphere  ; and  then,  when  your  earthly  pilgrimage 


310 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


is  run,  may  you  fade  away  and  die  like  a daisy.’’ 
(Applause.)  ‘‘I  am  sure  that  all  present  reciprocate 
these  utterances.” 

‘‘Good  for  you,  Steve,”  “Well  done,  my  bantam,” 
and  the  like  expressions  from  the  boys,  followed  each 
other  in  rapid  succession,  while  Aunt  Phebe  stood  with 
her  crumpled  apron  to  her  eyes,  and  as  Tom  expressed  it, 
“too  full  for  utterance.”  At  lens^th  she  found  vent  in 

O 

words. 

“Press  yer,  boys,  bress  yer  : d at  money ’ll  do  ole 
Aunty  a heap  o’  good,  an’  she’ll  neber  forgit  it  ob  yer, 
no  neber.  Dat  money  done  gone  in  de  pot  for  sure, 
an’  ’spect  I’ll  git  ’nough  to  git  norf  sum  ob  dese  days. 
You’se  made  ole  Aunty’s  heart  glad  dis  yer  many  times 
wid  yer  heap  ob  funny  tings,  an’  de  ha’mless  fun  dat 
seem  so  to  fill  yer  heads,  but  dey  neber  done  ole  Aunty 
any  ha’m  and  dey  neber  lebe  any  sting  behind  either, 
but  jest  boun’  right  away,  like  de  water  olF’m  a duck’s 
back.  Ole  Aunty  neber  forgit  her  boys  ; no  neber,  as 
long  as  she  draws  a brefF ob  life ; dars  for  ye  now.” 

At  the  conclusion  of  Aunt  Phebe’s  speech,  Tom 
jumped  from  the  rickety  chair  he  had  been  sitting  on, 
and  began  to  execute  a jig.  In  a moment  more  the 
rest  of  us  were  engaged  in  dancing  with  him.  Aunt 
Phebe,  catching  the  infection,  began  to  shuffle  her  feet 
and  sway  her  form,  and  at  last,  in  her  excitement,  she 
could  remain  still  no  longer,  but  began  to  “bar”  down 


t 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  311 

* r 

with  the  rest.  We  fairly  made  her  old  hut  jingle. 
Our  fun  over,  we  prepared  to  send  out  for  something 
to  cook,  as  Aunt  Phebe  was  anxious  we  should  have 
one  more  square  meal  beneath  her  roof ; but  she  would 
not  allow  us  to,  as  she  said  she  had  all  ‘‘De  fixings  ob  a 
squar’  meal  in  de  house,  an’  all  I wants  ob  yer  is  to 
’ole  yer  yap,  while  I done  gone  an’  sarve  dem  up.” 

We  came  to  the  conclusion  to  hold  our  yap,  and  ad- 
journed to  a vacant  lot  in  the  rear  of  the  cabin,  where 
we  pitched  quoits,  until  Aunt  Phebe’s  gentle  voice  was 
heard  saying,  “De  wittles  done  ready,”  whereupon  we 
rushed  pell-mell  into  the  house  and  took  our  seats  at  the 
table,  which  was  too  small  for  us  all  to  sit  round  at  once, 
^o  same  squatted  on  the  floor,  while  others  improvised 
a table  from  an  old  box,  and  in  a remarkably  short 
time,  we  were  all  busily  engaged  in  the  task  of  masti- 
cating fried  hog’s  liver  garnished  with  fried  sweet  pota- 
toes and  soft-tack,  and  last  but  not  least,  boiled  onions. 
Having  satisfled  the  inner  man,  we  arose  to  go.  After 
shaking  hands  all  round,  we  bade  her  good-bye,  she 
promising  to  come  to  the . steamboat  landing  to  see  us 
off. 

It  was  about  two  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we 
turned  our  backs  on  the  little  hovel,  in  vrhich  we  had 
spent  so  many  happy  hours.  Reaching  the  wharf,  we 
found  that  we  had  two  good  hours  before  the  “Curlew” 


21 


312 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

would  be  ready  to  sail  for  New  Berne.  We  spent  the 
time  pleasantly,  ^‘chaffing”  with  the  soldiers,  gathered 
on  the  wharf  to  see  us  off. 

At  length  the  order  came,  All  aboard.”  ‘‘Pull  in 
that  gang  plank,”  and  in  a moment  afterwards  the 
“Curlew”  steamed  out  into  the  channel,  and  we  were 
homeward  bound.  The  soldiers  gave  us  three  cheers 
as  we  moved  off,  and  the  crew  of  the  “Louisiana”  gave 
us  three  more  and  a tiger.  Aunt  Phebe  could  be  seen 
prominent  in  the  throng  on  the  wharf,  and  she  was  the 
most  disconsolate  looking  being  I ever  saw,  as  she 
stood  near  the  edge  of  our  late  landing  place,  with  her 
white  apron  over  her  head  and  her  black  face  peering 
out  from  its  folds.  We  answered  the  cheers  froiji  the 
“Louisiana,”  gave  three  more  for  our  soldier  friends, 
and  ended  by  shouting  to  Aunt  Phebe  to  take  care  of 
herself,  which  she  answered  by  unintelligible  ejacula- 
tions, which,  nevertheless,  it  was  easy  for  us  to  imagine 
meant  words  of  good-cheer,  and  a safe  and  speedy 
return  to  the  bosom  of  our  families.  As  we  passed 
the  store-ship,  lying  at  anchor  in  the  stream,  we  shouted 
a last  farewell  to  Mr.  Mills,  who  was  seated  in  the 
steril  sheets,  smoking,  with  his  feet  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees,  resting  on  the  cabin  hatch.  He 
merely  waved  his  hand  to  us,  and  went  on  with  his 
smoking.  After  passing  Rodman’s  Point,  I turned  and 

V 

gave  one  last  look  at  Little  Washington,  where,  be- 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


313 


sides  participating  in  some  pretty  severe  fighting,  we 
had  also  enjoyed  ourselves  in  many  ways. 

Little  of  interest  happened  to  us  on  our  voyage  to 
New  Berne,  where  we  arrived  in  the  middle  of  the  suc- 
ceeding night.  On  the  following  morning  we  went  on 
shore,  and  spent  a few  hours  visiting  friends  and  re-° 
ceiving  messages  from  them,  to  deliver  to  their  friends 
and  families  north,  upon  our  arrival.  While  strolling 
around,  we  were  told  that  the  steamer  which  had  been 
engaged  for  our  transportation,  was  lying  at  one  of  the 
wharves,  just  below  the  ‘^Curlew’s”  landing  place. 
Thither  we  bent  our  steps,  found  her  with  but  little 
trouble,  and  proceeded  on  board.  She  did  not  meet 
our  anticipations  in  the  least.  She  was  old  and  broken- 
backed,  or,  to  use  a sailor’s  phrase,  she  had  been 
‘‘hogged”  in  some  gale  she  had  experienced,  causing 
the  deck  in  the  center  to  rise ; and  it  was  like  walking 
down  a hill,  go  which  way  we  would  from  the  center. 
The  interior  of  the  transport  made  me  sick  at  the  first 
glance.  She  had  brought  out  a load  of  green  hides 
and  discharged  them  at  Baltimore  ; since  then  the  decks 
had  not  been  washed  down,  and  the  filth  was  an  inch 
deep  in  some  places  in  the  hold,  and  the  stench  arising 
from  it  nearly  suffocating.  “Here  is  work  for  us, 
boys,”  I said^  turning  around  and  addressing  Tom  and 
one  other  of  our  party,  who  had  followed  me  below. 

“Whew  ! I should  think  so,”  said  Tom,  “and  the 


314  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

sooner  we  get  at  it,  the  sooner  we  shall  have  a decent 
place  to  live  in.” 

‘^Yes,  the  old  craft  will  sail  this  afternoon,  and  we 
niust  at  once  organize  a party  to  help  to  clean  ship.” 
Saying  this,  I ascended  to  the  upper  deck,  followed  by 
" my  messmates.  We  went  aft  to  find  the  Captain.  He 
was  in  the  cabin.  Upon  my  entrance,  he  looked  up, 
and  I accosted  him  with,  Are  you  the  captain  of  this 
craft  ? ” 

“What  do  you  want?  ” ' 

I sized  him  up  at  a glance.  He  was  a man  for 
money,  anything  for  money ; coarse,  bronze  face,  bul- 
let-headed, heavy  eye-brows,  deep  set,  steel  gray  eyes, 
and  his  general  features  drawn  up  in  a sneer.  Before 
answering  him,  the  thought  occurred  to  me  that  we 
were  to  have  poor  transportation,  poor  grub,  and  I 
could  not  help  thinking  of  the  poor  fellows — the  dis- 
charged soldiers — who  were  expected  on  board,  some 
of  whom  were  sick,  otl^ers  convalescent.  I knew  by 
the  looks  of  things  on  board,  and  the  cold,  hard  face  of 
the  captain,  that  they  were  to  see  hard  times  before 
they  reached  their  homes.  Observing  him  scowling  at 
me,after  his  question,  “What  do  you  want?”  I scowled 
in  return,  for  I had  been  too  much  accustomed  to  man- 
of-war  life  to  be  scared  by  a down-east  captain. 

“Well,  I want  to  know  if  I have  your  permission  to 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


315 


clean  up  this  old  hulk  that  you  claim  to  be  commander 
of.” 

^‘Why,  don’t  the  vessel  suit  ye?” 

‘‘No,  it  does  not ; it  looks  more  like  a hog  pen  than 
anything  else  I can  liken  it  to.” 

“Perhaps  ye  want  a palace  steamer  to  carry  your 
precious  carcasses.  If  a hog  pen,  as  ye  call  it,  is  good 
’nuff  for  me,  blarst  me  ! if  I don’t  think  it  good  ’nuff 
for  ye  and  yer  crowd.” 

“Well,”  said  I,  “that’s  a matter  of  taste.  I don’t 

I 

like  it,  and  if  you  will  not  order  it  cleaned  by  your 
crew,  or  give  me  permission  to  side  her  up.  I’ll  report 
it  to  the  commander,  and  have  him  up  here,  and  we 
will  see  if  he  wdll  allow  his  men  to  be  put  into  such  a 
pen,  and  if  he  will  not  have  it  attended  to,  we  wi\\  pur- 
chase our  passage  on  some  other  steamer.” 

The  old  curmudgeon,  becoming  aware  that  he  was 
about  to  lose  a good  transportation  party,  and  seeing, 
too,  that  I had  a crowd  at  my^back,  said,  with  a sneer, 
“Well,  ye  can  clean  her  up  or  not,  as  ye  please,”  adding, 
“fresh  water  sailors  ought  to  carry  feather  beds  with 

i 

them.” 

Tom,  who  was  right  behind  me,  and  had  heard' part 
of  the  conversation,  whispered  to  me  : “Say  the  word, 

, I 

Steve,  and  we  will  bounce  the  old  leather-head  over 
the  side,  and  take  the  command  ourselves.” 

With  a quiet  laugh,  I told  Tom  that  that  wouldn’t 


316 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


do.  Just  wait  till  we  get  outside,  and  if  the  old 
leather-head,  as  you  call  him,  does  not  behave  himself, 
we  will  soon  settle  his  hash.” 

All  this  was  said  in  an  undertone,  while  the  captain 
of  the  old  battered  craft  glared  at  us  from  under  his 
heavy  eye-brows,  as  he  sat  in  his  dirty-looking  and 

nasty -smelling  cabin.  Well, Mr. , I do  not 

know  your  name.” 

• ‘‘And we  don’t  want  to  know  it,”  inter- 

rupted Howes  Crowell. 

Continuino^,  I said,  “We  will  ^et  a ^an^  together 
and  give  your  old  scow  such  an  -overhauling,  as  she 
never  had  before.” 

He  did  not  deign  to  reply,  or  even  to  look  up  at  us, 
as  we  turned  away  from  his  presence.- 

“I  say,  fellows,  we’ll  have  trouble  with  that  old  — 
leather-head,”  said  Tom  who  persisted  in  calling  the 
captain  such,  “ before  we  reach  Xew  York.” 

“We’ll  pitch  the  old  duffer  overboard,  if  he  puts  up 
to  us,  and  we’ll  send  his  crew  packing  after  him  to 
Davy  Jones’  locker  if  they  interfere,”  said  Tom  Jencks. 

We  were  not  lono-  in  or^anizin^  a 2:an^to  scrub  the 
ship,  as  most  of  the  boys  had  come  on  board,  only 
a few  were  strolling  about  the  town.  Taking  off  our 
shoes  and  stockings,  and  putting  them  in  safe  places, 
we  rolled  up  our  trowsers  legs,  and  with  old  brooms 
and  sticks  with  rags  tied  to  the  ends,  some  of  us  scrubbed 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


317 


and  others  drew  water  from  over  the  side,  and  dashed 
it  on  the  deck.  George  Bartlett  found  a nearly 
new  broom  in  the  smoke-begrimmed  old  galley,  de- 
spite the  struggles  of  a black-haired  old  Portuguese  to 
retain  it.  When  he  was  forced  to  relinquish  his  hold 
upon  his  end,  he  gave  Bartlett  such  a fiendish  look  as 
fairly  made  me  shudder.  I advised  him  privately  after- 
wards, to  keep  a sharp  lookout  on  the  Portuguese,  as 
he  would  do  him  harm  if  he  could. 

Bartlett  laughed  and  said,  ‘‘There’s  too  many  of  us 
for  him  to  attempt  to  play  any  of  his  Portuguese  tricks, 
and  besides,  I shall  be  ready  for  him  on  deck  in  the 
night  time,  if  we  should  chance  to  meet  there,”  and  he 
showed  me  his  revolver.  It  took  us  two  long  mortal 
hours  to  accomplish  our  task  of  scouring  the  hold  of 
the  old  catamaran,  but  at  length  we  gave  it  the  last 
wipe,  with  our  improvised  swabs,  .after  which,  we  all 
went  on  deck  to  fix  up.  About  two  o’clock,  between 
thirty  and  forty  sick  and  disabled  soldiers  came  on 
board,  most  of  them  bein^  brought  to  the  wharf  in 
ambulances.  They  were  going  home,  and  I thought  as 
I watched  them  brought  on  board,  that  some  of  them 
were  booked  for  their  long  home  before  they  reached 
their  journey’s  end.  Tears  came  into  my  eyes,  and  my 
heart  ached  for  the  poor  fellows',  some  of  whom  I 
was  afraid  would  never  gladden  their  parent’s  with 
their  earthly  presence,  although  I uttered  a prayer  in 


318 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


my  innermost  heart  that  they  might  live  to  reach  their 
northern  homes,  if  only  to  die  there.  But  why  stand 
idle,  when  I could  help  them?  Several  of  the  boys 
were  already  at  work,  assisting  them  over  the  side  of 
the  steamer.  Nice  comfortable  places  were  fixed  up  for 
them  in  the  hold,  and  oh,  how  happy  it  made  me  feel 
to  think  that  I had  been  instrumental  in  preparing 
them  such  places.  The  captain,  who  had  been  on 
shore  on  business,  did  not  come  on  board  till  nearlv 
four  o’clock.  He  immediately  ordered  the  engineer  to 
get  under  way.  I should  have  mentioned  before,  that 
the  boat  was  a screw  propeller,  and  it  made  us  all  laugh 
as  she  steamed  from  the  wharf,  for  it  sounded  as  if 
every  part  of  the  machinery  about  her  was  loose, 
and  her  paddles  went  thump-er-ter-thump  at  every 
revolution,  while  the  apology  for  a steamer  just 
crawled  along.  Tom  and  I took  our  stand  in  the 
bow  and  we  could  only  see  the  slightest  ripple.  * It 
seemed  to  be  quite  an  effort  for  her  to  clear  the  water, 

whereas  had  she  been  a fast  steamer,  she  should  have 

% 

been  throwing  the  spray  high  on  either  side  of  the  bow. 

“God  help  us  if  a storm  arises,  and  we  are  on  the 
outside  of  Hatteras  inlet ; this  old  “Hooker”  will  not  last 
long  in  a blow  such  as  we  experienced  when  coming  on 
in  the  Delaware,”  said  Tom. 

“We  are  likely  to  have  a rough  night  of  it  any  way ; 
the  wind  is  north-east,  and  we  shall  find  it  rough  at 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


319 


Hatteras,  but  I’ll  bet  the  captain  will  not  risk  his  pre- 
cious carcase  outside  the  inlet  in  this  craft,  in  half  a 
sea,”  I said. 

We  paced  the  deck  fore  and  aft  for  an  hour  or  more, 
but  at  last  the  pangs  of  hunger  began  to  be  felt,  and  we 
mutually  agreed  to  go  below  and  take  a lunch  from  our 
provision  bags.  Upon  leaving  New  Berne  each  man 
had  been  supplied  with  four  days’  rations,  supposed  to 
be  enough  to  serve  him  till  we  arrived  at  New  York. 
We  turned  in  early  that  night,  but  not  to  sleep,  how- 
ever, as  the  steamer  made  such  a racket  that  it  was  im- 

• 

possible  for  us  to  do  so,  and  especially  the  soldiers. 
All  that  night  and  the  next  day,  the  old  ‘^Hooker” 
pounded  the  water  and  we  did  not  arrive  at  Hatteras  inlet 
until  the  second  night.  All  the  available  places  on  board 
were  taken  up  by  the  boys  to  hang  their  hammocks  in. 
I gave  up  my  place  to  a sick  soldier,  rolled  myself  in 

I 

one  of  my  blankets,  and  stretched  myself  out  on  deck. 

o 

I was  awakened  Sarly  the  next 'morning  by  the  noise  of 
the  wind  blowing.  I listened,  whew!  how  she  was 
piping  it  up.  Crawling  from  underneath  my  blanket, 
I made  my  way  among  the  still  sleeping  soldiers  to  the 
deck  above.  Just  then  a gust  of  wind  struck  the 
steamer  and  swept  the  deck ; it  caught  me,  and  before 
I could  stop  myself,  it  sent  me  on  the  run  forward.  I 
brought  myself  to  a halt  by  clinging  to  the  chain  ex- 
tending from  the  smoke-stack  to  the  deck.  I looked 


320 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


seaward ; the  wildest  scene  imaginable  met  my  gaze. 
The  breakers  were  coming  in  with  their  white  tops 
lashed  to  a foam,  and  I likened  them  in  my  mind  to 
some  mighty  denizen  of  the  deep  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour.  The  foam-crested  billows  broke  on  either  shore 
of  the  inlet  with  a sullen  roar,  as  if  in  anger  that  they 
could  not  go  right  through  the  inlet,  and  spend  their  fury 
on  the  vessels  lying  at  anchor  in  the  comparatively  peace- 
fuh  waters  of  Pamlico  Sound.  Sometimes  a breaker 
larger  than  the  rest  would  roll  in,  divide  on  each  shore, 
while  the  center  part  would  preserve  itself  intact  and 
roll  defiantly  with  a seething,  hissing  sound  like  some 
great  sea  serpent,  part  way  thropgh  the  inlet ; then  it 
would  lose  its  power,  waver,  tremble  for  a moment,  and 
with  a gasp  like  a live  creature,  spread  out  and  mingle 
with  the  water  in  the  sound,  despite  the  seeming  rebuff 
given  to  it  by  that  peaceful  body  of  water.  Looking 
seaward  ao^ain  as  far  as  the  eve  could  reach,  there  could  be 
seen  billows  running  mountains  high,  and  a ship  under 
bare  poles  was  scudding  before  the  gale.  She  seemed 
like  a chip,  which  as  a boy  I would  toss  into  the  run- 
ning brook,  and  watch  its  progress  until  it  struck  the 
chopped-up  little  waves  as  they  dashed  down  some  rug- 
ged, rocky  gulley.  I watched  until  my  eyes  ached,  the 
heavy  billows  and  the  struggling  ship  now  lost  to  sight 
as  she  descended  in  the  hollow  of  the  sea;  anon,  she 
appeared,  safely  riding  some  giant  wave  upon  which  she 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY.  321 

\ 

seemed  to  waver  for  a moment  as  if  in  dread  of  the 
fearful  plunge,  and  finally  disappeared  altogether  amid 
the  spray  and  the  thick  mist  blown  before  the  north-east, 
howling,  shrieking  ^ wind.  ^ 

•Soon  the  boys  came  on  deck,  at  least  such  as  were 
able,  and  viewed  with  me  the  awful  grandeur  of  old 
ocean . 

It  was  with  a whetted  appetite  that  I returned  below 
and  sought  out  my  provision  bag.  After  satisfying 
my  inner  man,  I went  to  take  a look  at  the  sick 
soldiers.  I was  glad  to  find  them  cheerful,  except  one 
poor  fellow,  who  looked  up  in  my  face  as  I stood  by 
his  side,  with  a beseeching  expression  portrayed  on  his 
countenance. 

‘‘What  is  it?  Can  I do  anything  for  you?” 

“I  would  like  some  coffee,  if  you  could  get  me 
some.” 

Just  then  one  of  his  comrades  approached,  bearing 
in  his  hand  a tin  cup,  and  holding  it  out,  he  said : 

“Here’s  some  coffee ; I’ve  been  to  get  it  for  you  ; I 
could  not  get  around  any  sooner,  there  are  so  many 
sick  ones  on  board  to  look  after,”  addressing  the  latter 
remark  to  me. 

For  three  long  days  we  were  kept  inside  the  inlet 
by  the  violent  gale.  Our  provisions  began  to  run  short, 
and  the  captain  was  forced  to  seek  fresh  supplies  at  Fort 
Hatteras. 


1 


322 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


At  length  the  wind  chopped  around  to  the  north- 
west,  and  on  the  fourth  day  from  our  arrival,  the 
anchor  was  hove  short  and  catted,  and  the  old  craft 
steamed  up  and  proceeded  on  her  journey.  When  about 
' half  way  through  the  inlet,  a large  breaker  came  towering 
in  ; it  looked  to  be  twenty  feet  high.  My  heart  leaped 
into  my  throat  (so  to  speak),  for  I had  no  more  idea 
that  the  old  broken-backed — well,  I have  in  my  vocabu- 
lary no  words  fit  to  name  her — would  sustain  the  shock 
than  I had  of  jumping  overboard. 

/ 

‘‘Hold  on,  all !”  shouted  the  pilot.  / 

I sprang  towards  the  cabin  hatchway,  and  grasped 
the  combings  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  As  she  struck 

\ 

the  breaker,  she  partly  rode  and  partly  wallowed 
through,  to  my  great  astonishment,  for  I fully  expected 
to  see  her  go  to  pieces  in  the  first  ugly  encounter.  But 
I had  under-rated  her,  and  ever  after  that  had  a degree 
of  respect  for  her.  We  did  not  encounter  any  more 
heavy  breakers  during  our  passage  through  the  inlet, 
and  were  soon  outside  on  the  heaving  ocean.  The 

4 

north-west  wind  had  raised  the  deuce  with  the  huge  bil- 
lows, and  cut  them  up  into  what  is  called  a chopped 
sea.  As  far  as  I could  see,  the  ocean  was  made  up  of 
innumerable  hillocks,  reminding  one  of  a forty-acre  lot 
sprinkled  with  hay-cocks,  with  this  dilference,  that  the 
waves  were,  alive,  and  tossed  our  old  steamer  about  like 
a shuttle-cock. 


N 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


323 


Tom  came  staggering  towards  me,  as  I stood  holding 
on  the  combing  of  the  hatchway,  and  as  he  came  within 
speaking  distance,  the  steamer  gave  a sudden  lurch  to 
port,  shipped  a sea,  in  consequence  of  which,  Tom  lost 
his  footing  • and  was  pitched  headlong  into  the  lee 
scupper,  where  he  floundered  about  for  a moment  or 
two,  unable  to  regain  his  feet.  At  last,  as  the  old 
‘^Hooker”  righted,  he  maintained  a standing  position, 
and  came  towards  me.  I laughed  so  hard  at  Tom’s 
misfortune  that  it  made  my  head  ache. 

‘^It’s  all  right,  Steve ; the  only  harm  I wish  you  is, 
that  I may  see  you  take  a tumble.” 

I assured  him  that  if  I did,  I should  expect  all  the 
crew,  man  and  boy,  to  laugh,  as  it  is  human  nature  to 
exult  over  the  fallen. 

‘‘But  joking /aside,  Steve,  those  poor  fellows  below 
are  in  a terrible  state ; most  of  them  are  sea-sick,  andl 
really  think  that  one  is  dying.” 

Without  waiting  to  hear  more,  I went  forward  and 
descended  into  the  hole.  The  sight  I saw  there  nearly 
caused  my  stomach  to  rebel.  Soldiers  were  lying  around 
• in  filth,  too  weak  to  remove  themselves  from  it,  and 
the  stench  was  sickening.  With  the  help  of  the  new 
draft,  as  we  still  called  ourselves,  I set  to  work  to  fix 
them  up.  It  was  hard  work,  but  we  at  last  got  them 
in  better  trim,  although  we  could  do  nothing  to  relieve 
' their  sea-sickness.  I tried  to  assure  them  that  the  worst 


I 


324 


EECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


was  over,  and  that  if  nothing  unusual  occurred,  we 
should  be  in  New  York  the  next  day.  Seeing  one  poor 
fellow  lying  alone  with  closed  eyes,  I approached  him, 
and  found  him  seemingly  in  a dying  condition. 

‘‘Look  here,  Tom,  cannot  we  get  some  whiskey  from 
the  captain?  This  poor  boy  is  about  gone,  it  seems, 
and  unless  we  do  something  for  him  quickly  he  cannot 
rally.” 

“I  will  try,”  Tom  said,  and  started  for  the  cabin  on 
his  errand  of  mercy.  ^ 

In  the  mean  time  I had  been  trying,  with  the  help 
of  others,  to  rouse  the  man  from  his  stupor.  He  could 
not  have  been  more  than  twenty  years  old,  but  the 
ghastly  appearance  of  his  countenance  made  him  appear 
much  older.  His  injuries,  though  bad  enough,  were 
not  necessarily  of  a fatal  nature,  and  if  aid  had  been 
forthcoming  at  first,  he  would  probably  have  been  well 
now.  But  he  had  lost  so  much  blood,  fever  also  had 
set  in,  and  now  he  was  indeed  at  death’s  door.  All  our 
efforts  were  of  no  avail,  however,  to  bring  him  round, 
and  our  last  resort  was  whiskey. 

I waited  anxiously  for  Tom’s  return  and  at  length 
saw  him  come  down  the  ladder,  aft.  When  he  reached 
my  side  he  pulled  from  his  pocket  a half-pint  bottle, 
and  thrust  it  out  to  me.  I took  it,  saying  at  the  same 
time,  “So  you  were  successful,  I see ; Ihad  my  doubts 
about  your  getting  any  when  I asked  you  to  go.” 


325 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

‘‘Yes,”  he  said,  “I  got  the  whiskey,  but  what  do 
you  suppose  the  old  leather-head  has  made  me  pay  for 
it?” 

Before  answering  Tom’s  question,  I stooped  down 
and  poured  a portion  of  the  liquor  into  the  soldier’s 
mouth. 

“Pay  ! pay,  did  you  say?” 

“Yes,  pay,”  was  the  reply. 

“Why,  I thought  he  would  give  it  to  you.  Did  you 
not  tell  him  it  was  for  a sick  soldier,  who  was  perhaps 
at  death’s  door  ?” 

“Why,  certainly  I did.  I explained  to  him  all 
about  it,  and  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  do  something 
at  once,  he  would  have  some  dead  men  on  his 
hands.” 

“What  did  he  say  to  that?” 

“He  said  he  couldn’t  help  the  soldiers  being  sick, 
and  he  hadn’t  any  surgeon  on  board,  and  we  should 
have  to  shift  the  best  way  we  could  until  we  arrived  at 
New  York.  At  the  same  time  he  handed  me  the  bot- 
tle of  whiskey  which  he  had  poured  from  a demijohn  in 
his  cupboard,  with  the  accompanying  remark  that  it 
would  be  five  dollars.  I felt  my  face  reddening  up  as 
I tried  to  command  my  feelings,  so  that  I might  answer 

his  questions  without  showing  anger,  but  it  was  no  use 

# 

I couldn’t  help  letting  fly  at  him,  after  paying,  so  I 
said  to  him,  ‘You  are  the  meanest  man  that  it  was  ever 


326  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 

my  misfortune  to  come  across  since  my  enlistment.’  I 
thought^  I said,  that  I had  seen  mean  men,  but  for  the 
pure,  double-distilled  essence  of  meanness,  he  took  the 
turkey  and  all  the  fixings,  and  I did  not  try  to  hide 
my  scowls  from  him,  while  waiting  for  a reply.  ^Oh, 
you  are  welcome  to  yer  opinion  of  me.  I’ve  got  yer 
money,  and  that’s  what  I’m  arter,’  and  he  snapped  his 
fingers  in  my  face.  I would  have  stayed  to  give  him  a 
parting  shot,  but  I knew  you  were  in  a hurry  for  it,  so 
I came  away ; but  I’ll  have  a whack  at  him,  and  I’ll 
square  the  yards  with  him  for  that  five  dollars,  before 
we  reach  New  York,  if  an  opportunity  occurs,  the  old 
curmudgeon  !” 

‘‘Bear  a hand  here,  Tom,”  I said,  interrupting  him, 
“and  let’s  get  the  poor  fellow  on  deck  if  possible,  where 
he  can  get  some  fresh  air ; pugh  ! it’s  enough  to  kill  a 
well  man  down  here,  let  alone  a sick  one.” 

Tom  took  the  boy  by  his  feet,  and  I caught  hold  of 
him  under  his  arms,  and  together  we  carried  him  on 
deck.  I then  gave  him  a little  more  whiskey.^  After 
a little  while  he  opened  his  eyes,  but  there  was  no  ex- 
pression in  them;  he  did  not  seem  to  recognize  any 
one.  By  and  by  his  lips  were  seen  to  move,  and  I 
knelt  down  beside  him  to  catch,  if  possible,  what  he 
might  have  to  say.  I moistened  his  lips  again,  and 
forced  some  of  the  liquor  between  his  teeth  which 


■ '*}■ 


KECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOK  BOY.  327 

/ - 

seemed  to  be  firmly  set  together.  I was  rewarded  this 
time  by  seeing  a look  of  gratitude  on  his  face. 

‘‘Poor  fellow,  can  you  speak,  and  tell  me  your 
wishes  ? ” 

His  lips  moved  again,  and  bending  my  head,  with 
my  ear  close  to  his  lips,  I managed  to  catch  the  follow- 
ing words,  which  came  in  a faint  and  trembling 
whisper  : 

“I — was — almost — home;  why — did — you — call — 

me— back  ? — I— want — want — to — ” Here  he  paused  ; 

I bent  my  head  closer,  and  heard  his  last  words  : “Ah 

— too — late — my ” 

“But  of  his  home  and  lier  he  loved, 

His  sad  departing  spirit  sighed ; 

‘Mother!’  the  soldier  fondly  said, 

And  looking  to  the  north,  he  died.” 

His  form  stiffened  in  death.  Did  he  wish  me  to  take 

# 

his  last  message  to  his  home,  to  his  mother,  to  his 
sweetheart?  I cannot  tell;  God  only  knows.  Gently 
we  composed  his  limbs,  and  covered  him  with  a blanket, 
which  was  all  that  we  could  do.  for  him.  My  eyes 
filled  with  tears  ; I could  not  keep  them  back,  so  I 
turned  from  the  scene,  and  looking  around  at  my  com- 
panions, who  were  gathered  there  on  the  deck,  I saw 
of  tears  in  the  eyes  of  many  of  them, 
cap  all,  our  supply  of  water  became  exhausted, 
!2 

! 

r 

r • 

t . 


traces 

To 


I 


328 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


another  smart  trait  of  the  captain,  not  to  have  a suf- 

I 

ficient  supply  on  board.  The  donkey  engine  was  started 
in  order  to  condense  the  salt  water.  The  sick  soldiers 
were  calling  for  water  on  all  sides. 

^‘Give  us  water!”  was  the  so  oft-repeated  cry,  that 
I was  forced  to  seek  the  deck  to  shut  out  the  sound.  In 
a little  while,  however,  a suflScient  quantity  of  water 
had  been  condensed  to  serve  all  around,  but  it  was  yet 
quite  warm. 

By  this  time  the  sea  had  gone  down,  and  with  it  the 
rocking  motion  of  the  old  “Hooker”  nearly  subsided, 
and  except  a long  ground  swell  undulating  beneath  us, 
we  were  in  comparatively  smooth  water  once  more. 
The  sun  began  to  shine  bright  and  warm,  and  nature 
put  aside  the  terrible  frown  that  she  had  worn  so  many 
days,  and  smiled  once  again  upon  us.  My  spirits  rose 
correspondingly,  as  the  clouds  cleared  away,  ard  the 
sun’s  rays  spread  far  and  wide,  warming  our  hearts  and 
infusinor  new  life  in  the  tired  frames  of  the  soldiers. 

O 

Those’  who  were  able,  came  on  deck  and  loitered  in 

t 

groups  fore  and  aft,  basking  in  the  warm  sunlight. 
When  I retired  that  night,  I obtained  my  first  good 
, night’s  sleep  since  leaving  New  Berne. 

We  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  following  day,  at 
about  five  o’clock,  and  each  man  shouldered  his  effects, 
as  the  steamer  was  made  fast  to  the  pier,  and  hurried 
on  shore.  Tom  and  I waited  awhile  on  the  pier,  to  say 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


.329 


good-bye  to  some  of  the  soldiers,  and  pay  a last  fare- 
well to  our  messmates,  whose  homes  were  in' different 
directions  from  ours  ; then  we  turned  our  steps  in  the 
direction  of  the  New  York  and  Providence  boat. 

Arriving  there,  we  left  our  dunnage  on  board,  and 
took  a stroll  up  Broadway.  We  returned  again  be- 
times, and  on  the  following  morning  we  arrived  safely 
in  Providence,  where  Tom  and  I parted,  to  go  to  our 
respective  home. 

I will  pass  over  the  meeting  at  home ; suffice  it  to 
say  that  I was  met  with  very  warm  greetings  from  the 
loved  ones  there,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  shaking  Phil 
by  the  hand,  he  having  returned  home  the  day  before. 

When  I sat  down  to  dinner  that  day,  I missed  two 
familiar  faces,  which  dampened  the  pleasure  of  my  re- 
turn horne  somewhat.  On  the  evening  of  that  long-to- 
be-remembered  day,  I sat  up  late  and  rehearsed  the 
story  of  our  adventures  to  ready  ears,  and  when  I did 
retire,  and  crept  between  the  clean  white  sheets,  I 
thought  I never  experienced  so  delightful  a sensation 
before. 

A few  more  words  and  I close.  The  “Louisiana,’’ 
some  few  months  after  the  new  draft’s  discharge  from 
her,  sailed  to  Baltimore,  where  her  crew  were  distrib- 
uted aboard  other  steamers,  and  the  gun-boat  was  pre- 
pared to  fulfil  her  destiny  in  Wilmington,  North  Car- 
olina. On  the  23d  of  December,  1864,  one  of  the 


330 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A SAILOR  BOY. 


largest  fleets  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  stood 
towards  Fort  Fisher  bound  for  its  capture  or  destruc- 
tion, and  among  these  vessels  was  the  ‘‘Louisiana,” 
stored  with  fifteen  tons  of  powder,  every  barrel  with 
its  head  out  and  its  fuse  in.  How  to  brin^  her  with 

O 

her  terrible  cargo  safely  under  the  walls  of  the  fort 
without  having  her  blown  up  in  advance  by  the  guns 
of  the  fort,  was  the  absorbing  question  of  the  day.  On 
this  point  Admiral  Porter  says:  “This,  Commander 
Ehind  was  enabled  to  do,  owing  to  a blockade-runner 
going  in  right  ahead  of  him,  the  fort  making  the  block- 
ade-runner signals  which  they  also  did  to  the  ‘Louisi- 
ana.’” Here  were  one  hundred  and  twenty  men-of- 
war,  and  transports,  their  only  object  being  to  stop 
smuggling,  and  one  saucy  steamer  passing  through 
them  all  being  made  the  unconscious  pilot  of  the  pow- 
der laden  gunboat,  that  was  to  blow  the  fort  out  of  ex- 
istence. It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  gun-boat  blew 
up,  and  that  the  fort  did  not. 

Insignificant  as  the  “Louisiana”  was  in  appearance, 
she  nevertheless  did  honor  to  the  service,  and  her  final 
sacrifice  at  Fort  Fisher  was  only  in  keeping  with  her 
other  good  deeds  performed  during  the  rebellion.  Good- 
bye old  “Louisiana,”  it  was  done  PRO  patria. 


THE  END.' 


•TV« 


The  person  charging  this  material  is  re- 
sponsible for  its  return  to  the  library  from 
which  it  was  withdrawn  on  or  before  the 
Latest  Dote  stamped  below. 

Theft,  mutilation,  and  underlining  of  books  are  reasons 
for  disciplinary  action  and  may  result  in  dismissal  from 
the  University. 

To  renew  call  Telephone  Center,  333-8400 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  LIBRARY  AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


< 


L161— 0-1096 


